Effect of alkyl chain length in the terminal ester group on mesomorphic properties of new chiral lactic acid derivatives

0462946 - FZÚ 2017 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Kohout, M. - Bubnov, Alexej - Šturala, J. - Novotná, Vladimíra - Svoboda, J.
Effect of alkyl chain length in the terminal ester group on mesomorphic properties of new chiral lactic acid derivatives.
Liquid Crystals. Roč. 43, č. 10 (2016), s. 1472-1485. ISSN 0267-8292. E-ISSN 1366-5855
R&D Projects: GA MŠMT(CZ) LD14007
Institutional support: RVO:68378271
Keywords : chiral liquid crystal * lactic acid derivative * terminal ester group * mesomorphic properties * dielectric spectroscopy * layer shrinkage
Subject RIV: JJ - Other Materials
Impact factor: 2.661, year: 2016

Two series of new lactic acid derivatives with a terminal ester group have been synthesised. The effect of this ester unit and length of its alkyl chain on the mesomorphic and dielectric properties of the compounds exhibiting a broad temperature range of chiral smectic phases has been studied. We found, that the mesomorphic behaviour and phase transition temperatures are strongly affected by the molecular architecture. Depending on the alkyl chain length in the terminal ester unit, the studied materials exhibited a paraelectric smectic A*, ferroelectric tilted smectic C* and antiferroelectric smectic CA* phases over a broad temperature range. The homologues with short terminal alkyl chains showed a very small layer shrinkage on the transition from the orthogonal SmA* to the tilted SmC* phase, which is a characteristic feature of "de Vries-type" behaviour.

Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0262467