Mirror Symmetry Breaking and Network Formation in Achiral Polycatenars with Thioether Tail

Effects of alkylthio groups on phase transitions of organic molecules and liquid crystals: a comparative study with alkyl and alkoxy groups

The effects of the alkylthio groups on the phase transition behavior of organic liquid crystal molecules were examined by comparing them with the effects of alkyl and alkoxy groups.

Transition from lamellar to nanostructure mesophases in azobenzene-based hockey-stick polycatenars

Tuning from 1D to 3D mesophases by alkyl chain engineering. Multichain π-conjugated hockey-stick molecules form lamellar SmA and meso-structure Ia3̄d with continuous networks. The effect of the position of the central bent-core unit on helical self-assembly is discussed.

Mirror Symmetry Breaking and Network Formation in Achiral Polycatenars with Thioether Tail

Mirror symmetry breaking in systems composed of achiral molecules is of importance for the design of functional materials for technological applications as well as for the understanding of the mechanisms of spontaneous emergence of chirality. Herein, we report the design and molecular self-assembly of two series of rod-like achiral polycatenar molecules derived from a π-conjugated 5,5'-diphenyl-2,2'-bithiophene core with a fork-like triple alkoxylated end and a variable single alkylthio chain at the other end. In both series of liquid crystalline materials, differing in the chain length at the trialkoxylated end, helical self-assembly of the π-conjugated rods in networks occurs, leading to wide temperature ranges (>200 K) of bicontinuous cubic network phases, in some cases being stable even around ambient temperatures. The achiral bicontinuous cubic Ia 3 ‾ d phase (gyroid) is replaced upon alkylthio chain elongation by a spontaneous mirror symmetry broken bicontinuous cubic phase (I23) and a chiral isotropic liquid phase (Iso1 [ *] ). Further chain elongation results in removing the I23 phase and the re-appearance of the Ia 3 ‾ d phase with different pitch lengths. In the second series an additional tetragonal phase separates the two cubic phase types.