Nematic phases in achiral unsymmetrical four-ring bent-core azo compounds possessing strongly polar cyano and nitro moieties as end substituents: Synthesis and characterization

Achiral unsymmetrical four-ring bent-core liquid crystals with strongly polar cyano and nitro moieties as substituents at one end and alkyloxy group (butyl to dodecyl) at the other end have been synthesized by a simple and straight forward synthetic method. The four phenyl rings are connected through azo, ester and imine linkages respectively and bent unit is derived from 3-aminobenzoicacid with 2-methyl substituent in the transverse direction of the molecule. The molecular structure characterization is consistent with elemental and spectroscopic analysis data. The materials thermal behaviour and phase characterization have been investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and polarizing optical microscopy. All the compounds exhibit enantiotropic nematic phase over a wide temperature range. The light induced cis–trans isomerization is also discussed. [Display omitted] •Design, synthesis of achiral four-ring unsymmetrical bent-core liquid crystals.•Bent or hockey-stick shaped molecules exhibiting nematic phases.•Nanoscale smectic clusters in nematic phase an important class of compounds.•Wide range nematic phases and stable supercooling of nematic phase.