Calamitic liquid crystals of 1,2,3-triazole connected to azobenzene: synthesis, characterisation and anisotropic properties

Abstract

Azobenzene-based calamitic liquid crystals, 4-((4-(4-methoxymethyl-1,2,3-triazol-1-yl)phenyl)diazenyl)phenylalkanoates have been isolated and their structures were characterised. The structure–property correlation with respect to the different alkanoyloxy terminal chain (–COOC_nH_2n+1 where n adopts odd numbers ranging from 3 to 15) has also been given attention in the present study. In this series, all compounds exhibit smectogenic properties. The lower homologues shows enantiotropic SmA phase as well as monotropic SmC phase. The higher homologues exhibit homeotropic alignment of smectic phases. These compounds possess very high anisotropic inclination in which the mesomorphic region covers nearly 80°C.

Keywords:

• 1,2,3-triazole
• calamitic liquid crystals
• homeotropic alignment
• SmA phase
• SmC phase

Funding

The main author (G-Y. Yeap) would like to thank Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education or MOHE for the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) [grant number 203/PKIMIA/6711265].

Supplementary data

Supplementary data for this article can be accessed here.