Synthesis and characterization of three-arm star-shaped glassy liquid crystal containing biphenyl esters

Abstract

A new three arm liquid crystalline material containing 4-Hydroxy-4`-[(p-alkoxybiphenyloxy) carbonyl] valeric acid and linked by flexible spacers tris[-4-(p-alkoxybiphenyloxy)carbonyl] valeric acid phloroglucinol ester has been synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic methods of analysis. The transition temperatures and phase behaviors were studied by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Polarizing Optical Microscopy (POM) and X-Ray diffraction analyses. All the synthesized compounds exhibited enantiotropic nematic phase and the stability of the mesophase depends on the length of the terminal alkoxy group for the compounds studied.

Keywords: Glassy phase, Liquid crystal, Nematic phase, Star shaped, Vitrification