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Molecular Conformations of Shape Anisometrically Variant Mesogens in Liquid Crystalline Phase Studied by 13C NMR Spectroscopy

“…Non‐conventional mesogens are constantly emerging in liquid crystal research as novel supramolecular systems of soft matter [1,2] . The gross molecular shape of the non‐conventional mesogens invariably deviates from the conventional rod‐like or disc‐like molecules [1–3] . Polycatenar mesogens with lengthy rod‐like core and terminal alkoxy chains are classified as non‐conventional mesogens [4–8] .…”

“…The recent discovery of a twist‐bend nematic phase in the odd dimers, where the molecules fill the space efficiently when twist and bend deformations combine to form heliconical correlation lengths, clearly illustrates the nature of unusual mesophases [13,14] . Further, super mesogens, dendrons, and taper‐shaped dendritic molecules completely deviate from the rigid rod‐like shape and exhibit a wide range of supramolecular organization leading to complex mesophase morphologies [1,2,9,15] . Star‐like mesogens are another class of molecules grouped as non‐conventional mesogens that display mesophase diversity driven by molecular architecture [16–18] .…”

“…Fundamentally, from the perspective of molecular design, by changing the linking pattern of the phenyl ring (extensively used building block), numerous molecular mesogens can be realized [29,30] . The gross molecular shape or the conformation of such non‐conventional mesogens in the liquid crystalline phase can lead to the supramolecular organization, paving the way for complex morphologies unheard of conventional mesogenic molecules [2,9,31] . In this work we explore the shape anisometrically variant three mesogens in which phenyl rings are part of the core unit and ester groups as linking units for their molecular conformations in the liquid crystalline phase by 13 C NMR spectroscopy.…”

“…The molecules have a rod‐like three‐ring core for the first case and the rod‐like core linked to a phenyl ring via spacer for the second one, while in the third mesogen, three rod‐like cores are attached to central phenyl rings (scaffold) through spacers to yield star‐like topology. The information realized by studying the molecular conformation of shape anisometrically variant mesogens would be of interest for the rational design of non‐conventional mesogens intended for generating complex mesophase morphologies [1,2,31] …”