Achiral bent-core salicylaldimine compounds exhibiting dark conglomerate and B₂ mesophases: effect of linkage groups and lateral substituents

Mesomorphic and dielectric properties of strategically designed chiral bent-core liquid crystals displaying wide temperature range dark conglomerate phase

“…The analysis of the peaks and the intensity pattern in this case eliminates any consideration for the presence of the HNF and HNC type of DC phases which are characterized by an additional set of reflections with relatively sharp scattering in the wide-angle region. 19 The distinct and intense peak in the small-angle region, exhibiting a d -spacing value shorter than the molecular length (L) indicates the presence of a tilted Smectic order with deformed layers within the system. Considering the assumed tilted molecular arrangement within the layers, the estimated tilt angle of ∼43° (at 160 °C), derived using the equation cos θ = d / L (here d ∼ 36.3 Å and L ∼ 50.3 Å, details in ESI†), strongly indicates the formation of SmCP phases by bent-core mesogens.…”

“…The analysis of the peaks and the intensity pattern in this case eliminates any consideration for the presence of the HNF and HNC type of DC phases which are characterized by an additional set of reflections with relatively sharp scattering in the wideangle region. 19 The distinct and intense peak in the small-angle S1.…”

“…Furthermore, small-angle/wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) measurements revealed the presence of a Sponge-type DC phase while ruling out the possibility of other DC phases (such as HNF and HNC). 19 Dielectric spectroscopy measurements conducted on these materials demonstrated persistent dielectric behavior across the entire LC temperature range. Notably, an intriguing structure-property relationship emerges, with two homologues displaying distinct behavior compared to the others.…”