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Phase transition behavior and structure of the thermotropic liquid crystal 6‐{[(4′‐{[(undecyl)carbonyl]oxy}biphenyl‐4yl)carbonyl]oxy}‐1‐hexyne
Author(s) -
Liu Leijing,
Geng Jianxin,
Yang Junliang,
Li Gao,
Zhou Enle,
Wing Yip Lam Jacky,
Tang Benzhong
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
crystal research and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.377
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1521-4079
pISSN - 0232-1300
DOI - 10.1002/crat.200510695
Subject(s) - liquid crystal , thermotropic crystal , biphenyl , crystallography , differential scanning calorimetry , mesogen , phase (matter) , chemistry , phase transition , metastability , materials science , organic chemistry , liquid crystalline , thermodynamics , physics , optoelectronics
The phase transition behaviors and corresponding structures of 6‐{[(4′‐{[(undecyl)carbonyl]oxy}biphenyl‐4yl)carbonyl]oxy}‐1‐hexyne (A4EE11) were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarizing optical microscopy (POM) and wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD). In comparison with the published homologues, 5‐{[(4′‐heptoxy‐biphenyl‐4‐yl)carbonyl]oxy}‐1‐pentyne (A3EO7) which shows a monotropic smectic A (SmA) phase and a metastable monotropic smectic C (SmC) phase; 5‐{[(4′‐heptoxy‐biphenyl‐4‐yl)oxy]carbonyl}‐ 1‐pentyne (A3E'O7) that exhibits three enantiotropic stable liquid crystalline (LC) phases, SmA phase, SmC phase and smectic X (SmX) phase; 5‐{[(4′‐heptoxy‐biphenyl‐4‐yl)carbonyl]oxy}‐1‐undecyne (A9EO7) which has a monotropic SmA phase and a metastable crystal phase, A4EE11 integrates the enantiotropy, monotropy and metastability of the LC phases of those three compounds. Upon cooling from isotropic state to room temperature, in the temperature range of 62.0 to 58.5°C, A4EE11 shows an enantiotropic smectic A (SmA) phase with a layer spacing d=32.69Å. Further lowering the temperature, it enters into a metastable monotropic smectic B (SmB) phase with a longer layer spacing d=34.22Å which has a tendency towards crystallization. The metastability of the liquid crystalline phase may associate to the linkage order of the ester bridge between the mesogenic core and the flexible spacer. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)