Observation of a frustrated nematic phase in amphiphilic, disc-like complexes of gold(III) containing hydrocarbon and semiperfluorocarbon terminal chains

ABSTRACT

The mesomorphism is reported of a discotic complex of gold(III) that is amphiphilic on account of the presence of both hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon chains. The all-hydrocarbon analogue of the complex shows only a columnar hexagonal phase between the melting and clearing points, whereas this new, amphiphilic example shows a nematic phase between a columnar rectangular phase and a columnar hexagonal phase. The nature and formation of the nematic phase are discussed and it is proposed to be a columnar nematic formed as a result of frustration driven by the amphiphilic nature of the complex.

Graphical abstract

KEYWORDS:

• Metallomesogen
• gold
• nematic
• amphiphile
• frustration
• discotic

Acknowledgments

We thank the University of York for funding (RRP and AJM), Johnson Matthey for generous loans of gold salts and Dr Stephen Cowling for recording some SAXS data.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The term N_D is used here for convenience to imply a nematic phase of disc-like molecules. In fact, a mesophase should be defined only by its own symmetry and not that of the molecules of which it is composed.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of York.