Sidechain engineering in anthracene derivatives: towards photofunctional liquid crystals

Sidechain Order Parameters via 2h Nmr in Polypeptide Liquid Crystals

We have selectively deuterated the sidechain of the synthetic polypeptide poly (-y-benzyl-L-glutamate), PBLG. In magnetically oriented nematic solutions of PBLG, the helical polymer rods are aligned parallel to the field. The Brownian motion of the flexible PBLG sidechain is anisotropic, resulting in quadrupole splittings of the 2H NMR resonances. The order parameters of C-D bond directions in ...

Photoalignment of liquid crystals by liquid crystals

We observed light-induced alignment of the nematic liquid crystal, 4, 4(')-n-pentylcyanobiphenyl (5CB), on a fused quartz. Irradiation of the adsorbed layer with polarized ultraviolet light produced homogeneous alignment in a 5CB-filled liquid crystal cell with the easy orientation axis perpendicular to the polarization direction. The measured anchoring energy increases with illumination up to ...

Innocent BN bond substitution in anthracene derivatives.

Extended azaborine heterocycles are promising biomedical and electronic materials. Herein we report the synthesis of a novel family of azaborine anthracene derivatives and their structural, electrochemical and spectroscopic characterization. We observe that the properties of these materials are remarkably similar to the parent hydrocarbons, suggesting the innocence of the CC to BN bond substitu...

Molecular engineering of chiral colloidal liquid crystals using DNA origami.

Establishing precise control over the shape and the interactions of the microscopic building blocks is essential for design of macroscopic soft materials with novel structural, optical and mechanical properties. Here, we demonstrate robust assembly of DNA origami filaments into cholesteric liquid crystals, one-dimensional supramolecular twisted ribbons and two-dimensional colloidal membranes. T...

Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals