Antiferroelectric Bent-Core Liquid Crystals for Molecular Switching Applications

A homologous series of unsymmetrical bent-core (BC) liquid crystalline (LC) molecules were synthesized and characterized. Structural effects on mesomorphic and physiochemical properties were investigated in terms of variation in one terminal chain length with respect to constant at another terminal. The synthesis and characterization of new bent-core mesogens were exhibiting antiferroelectric switchable columnar phases. The homologues with short methylene chains (8a and 8b) and longer methylene chain (8d−8g) molecules exhibited switchable B2 mesophase and nonswitchable rectangular columnar B1 phase obtained for phase middle homologue (8c). The spacer effect was observed in forming B2 phase with various lengths of spacers. Spontaneous polarization was measured and maximum of 535 nC/cm−1 observed for longer methylene chain containing compound (8g).