The effect of position of tert-butyl tail group on the formation of liquid crystal in Schiff base ester based homologous series

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT

We report a newly rod like calamatic liquid crystalline materials, which are constructed by the self-organization of a rod-like carboxylic acid derivative based on Schiff base ester as the linking group with tert butyl tail group. A newly series of 4-(tert-butyl) phenyl 4-((4-alkoxybenzylidene) amino) benzoate with different alkyl chain spacer (n = 1 to 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18) were synthesized and their mesomorphic properties were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and polarized optical microscopy. All homologous in present series displays mesophase in enantiotropically manner. Thermal stability of SmC-SmA is 137.5 °C. All the compounds were characterized by spectroscopic and elemental analysis. The effects of varying left alkyl side spacer on mesomorphism with its structurally related compounds in series have been discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Liquid crystal
• smectic
• enantiotropic
• Schiff base

Acknowledgments

Authors acknowledge thanks to Dr. R. R. Shah, principal of K. K. Shah Jarodwala Maninagar Science College, Ahmedabad. Author also gratefully thanks to Anuj S Sharma (Chemistry Department, Gujarat University) and Akshara. P. Shah (Chemistry Department, Mumbai University) for giving fruitful discussions in DSC analysis.