Mesophases, columnar

B. Donnio, D. N. Bruce, H. Delacroix, T. Gulik-Krzywicki. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy of thermotropic cubic and columnar mesophases. Liq... 

Thermotropic liquid-crystalline properties of different metal alkanesulfonates are studied by microscopy and X-ray diffraction [59]. Sodium soaps show smectic polymorphism of smectic A and smectic B phases. Ammonium soaps only show smectic A phases but polymorphism in the crystalline state. Calcium soaps show columnar mesophases. In Figs. 32 and 33 some textures and x-ray diffraction patterns are depicted. 

The prime requirement for the formation of a thermotropic liquid crystal is an anisotropy in the molecular shape. It is to be expected, therefore, that disc-like molecules as well as rod-like molecules should exhibit liquid crystal behaviour. Indeed this possibility was appreciated many years ago by Vorlander [56] although it was not until relatively recently that the first examples of discotic liquid crystals were reported by Chandrasekhar et al. [57]. It is now recognised that discotic molecules can form a variety of columnar mesophases as well as nematic and chiral nematic phases [58]. 

Barbera, J., Elduque, A., Gimenez, R., Oro, L.A. and Serrano, J.L. (1996) Pyrazolate Golden Rings trinudear complexes that form columnar mesophases at room temperature. Angewandte Chemie (International Edition in English), 35, 2832-2836. 

The discotic mesophases are classified in two types columnar, and nematic discotic. The structure of the nematic discotic mesophase (Np, Figure 8.3, left) is similar to that of rod-like molecules, but constituted by disk-like units. In columnar mesophases, the molecules are stacked in a columnar disposition and, depending on the type of columnar arrangement, several columnar mesophases are known. The most common lattices of the columnar phases are nematic discotic (No), columnar nematic (Ncoi), columnar hexagonal (Coin), and columnar rectangular (Col,) mesophases. 

Given that the presence of three alkoxy chains in the phenyl group produces such a dramatic change in the properties of the material to the point that columnar mesophases are formed at room temperature, the structure of the aryl isocyanide ligand has been further modified to introduce more paraffinic chains, and examples of metallodendrimers containing monodendrons with an isocyanide group in the focal point, and its gold compound 9, have been reported [26]. 

Several mixtures of hexanethiol capped gold nanopartides and triphenylene based discotic LCs have been studied. These mixtures display liquid crystal behavior (columnar mesophases) and an enhancement in the DC conductivity, due to the inclusion of gold nanoparticies into the matrix of the organic LC [70]. Other studies of mixtures of gold nanoparticies with mesogens indude a series of cholesteryl phenoxy alkanoates. The inclusion of the nanopartides does not change the inherent liquid crystal properties of the cholesteryl derivative but the mesophases are thermally stabilized [71]. 

Benouazzane, M., Coco, S., EspineL P., Martm-Alvarez, J. and Barbera J. (2002) Liquid crystalline behavior in gold(I) and silver(I) ionic isocyanide complexes smectic and columnar mesophases. Journal of Materials Chemistry, 12, 691-696. 

Kim, S.J., Kang, S.H., Park, K.-M., Kim, H Zin, W.-C., Choi, M.-G. and Kim, K. (1998) Trinuclear Gold(l) Pyrazolate Complexes Exhibiting Hexagonal Columnar Mesophases with Only Three Side Chains. Chemistry of Materials, 10, 1889-1893. 

More exotic systems have also been described and, for example, Lehn and co-workers described the complementary system, 6, which was found to exhibit a columnar mesophase [18], while neither of the components was mesomorphic. 

Trzaska and co-workers showed a similar propeller mechanism for the formation of helical columns from disclike metallomesogens (29-31).34 These metallomesogens also have C3 symmetry and 30 and 31 are provided with chiral side chains. In the hexagonal columnar mesophase these chiral side chains induce a Cotton effect in the chromophore of the helically arranged core. Heating the mesophase to the isotropic liquid results in the disappearance of the Cotton effect because of the loss of helical order. This effect illustrates the need for the molecules to be positionally ordered in order for the side-chain chirality to be transferred to the supramolecular column. 

A helical arrangement within columns was also found for other metal 3-diketonate complexes provided with chiral side chains (32) by Serrano and co-workers.35,36 These compounds form rectangular columnar mesophases with helical order within the columns. A spin-coated sample of 32 showed a positive exciton-splitted signal in the CD spectra, which was interpreted as a left-handed (M) helix. Annealing of the film resulted in much higher optical activities and a shift of the absorption maxima. The observed optical changes clearly point to a chiral organization of the columns in the mesophase. 

Nuckolls and Katz have synthesized discotic liquid crystalline molecules in which the core is a helix in its own right.37 Nonracemic helicene 33 was found to assemble into a columnar mesophase in which the helicenes stack on top of each other. CD spectroscopy showed a strong increase of the Cotton effect upon going from the molecularly dissolved state to the aggregated state, exhibiting an amplification of chirality. These helical columns give rise to a strong expression of chirality because the intrinsic shape of the helicenes... 

Figure 16.10 Conformational changes of polypropylene imine) dendrimers in LC materials from spherical to (a) cylindrical, in hexagonal columnar mesophase [130], and (b) ellipsoid, in smectic A mesophase [132]...

Discotic liquid crystals arise from disk-shaped molecules as nematic or cholesteric mesophases. Their structural characteristics are similar to the respective ealamitie mesophases, that is, the normals of the disks are oriented parallel. Instead of the smectic mesophases, diseotie columnar liquid crystals arise from eonnecting the disks to each other. The columns of the discotic columnar mesophase form a two-dimensional lattice whieh is in a hexagonal or rectangular modification. In addition, the columns may be tilted (Fig. 2f,g). 

X-ray spacing along the column axis per repeat imit of the main chain as determined for the columnar mesophase in bulk. 

Note 2 The adjective diseotic is also employed to describe the nematic mesophases formed by diseotic mesogens. The mesophases formed by a columnar stacking of disc-like molecules are described as columnar mesophases. 

Note Depending on the order in the molecular stacking in the columns and the two-dimensional lattice symmetry of the columnar packing, the columnar mesophases may be classified into three major classes hexagonal, rectangular and oblique (see Definitions 3.2.2.1. to 3.2.2.3). 

Columnar mesophase characterised by a hexagonal packing of the molecular columns. 

Columnar mesophase characterised by a liquid-like molecular order along the columns, in which the columns are arranged in a rectangular packing. 

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