Glass-forming liquid crystalline compositions and optical devices formed therefrom

This invention relates to glass-forming liquid crystals (GLC) and, more particularly, to liquid crystalline compositions comprising compounds having a molecular weight in the range of about 1000 to 5000 grams per mole, and to optical devices formed therefrom. A glass-forming liquid crystal composition comprises a compound having a molecular weight in the range of about 1000 to 5000 grams per mole and having the formulawherein CYC is a substituted cycloaliphatic core moiety containing about 24 to about 60 carbon atoms or a substituted aromatic core moiety containing about 6 to about 36 carbon atoms, NEM is a nematogenic pendant moiety, CHI is a chiral pendant moiety, x is 3 to 9, and y is 0 to 4. An optical device is formed from the liquid crystal composition.