Synthesis and Thermotropic Liquid Crystallinity of Alkylammonium Salts Containing Azobenzene Mesogens

摘要

Alkylammonium salts have been successfully synthesized by reacting 1-iodoalkanes with an azobenzene mesogen of 1-[bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) amino]-6-(4-ethoxyazobenzene-4-oxy) hexane. They were found to mainly form thermotropic smectic liquid crystals with various textures under polarized light. Their phase transition temperatures vary with alkyl chains, and the ordering of lamellar organization decreases with increasing the length of alkyl tails. The as-synthesized liquid crystals may have potential application in the field of photoresponsive and nanostructured materials.