Synthesis and properties of non‐symmetric liquid crystal dimers containing a cholesteryl moiety

Abstract

A series of non‐symmetric liquid crystal dimers having cholesteryl and 4‐trans‐(4‐n‐alkylcyclohexyl)phenoxy groups were synthesized by condensation of cholesteryl ω‐bromoalkanoates with appropriate 4‐trans‐(4‐n‐alkylcyclohexyl)phenols. The structures and thermal phase behaviour of the dimers were characterized using IR, ¹H NMR and mass spectroscopy, elemental analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing optical microscopy and X‐ray diffraction measurements. Their thermal phase behaviour is significantly different to that of other cholesterol‐based liquid crystal dimers. All of these liquid crystal dimers exhibit low phase transition temperatures. The relationships between their properties and chemical structures of these new dimers are discussed.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the National Science Foundation of China for the financial support (No. 20462001, 20662010) and the Jilin Province Science Foundation of China (No. 20050514) for supporting this work.