Eight new rod-like liquid crystal molecules composed by a long rigid core of three six-member rings (cyclohexane ring or benzene ring), azo, ester and terminal aldehyde groups have been prepared. These rod-like liquid crystalline molecules were designed to construct new structures to further study photo-isomerization in their mesophases. All the compounds have been characterized based on their basic spectral data, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and hot stage polarizing optical microscope (HS-POM). The result showed that all the molecules, even those with the shortest terminal methyl group, have liquid crystalline properties. Their mesophases are nematic within the temperature ranges from 85 to 145°C. They exhibit photo-sensitivities not only in methanol solutions but also in a mesophase when exposed to UV light. The highest occupied orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied orbital (LUMO) and the differences between the frontier molecular orbitals (Eg) of these compounds were determined by cyclic voltammetry. The effect of even-odd carbon number of the terminal straight alkyl chain on the UV spectral data and the Eg were observed. The difference between the Eg of these compounds are in excellent agreement with the difference of their maximum absorption wavelength in UV spectra.
已经制备了八种新的棒状液晶分子,它们由三个六元环(环己烷环或苯环)的长刚性核心、偶氮基、酯基和末端醛基团组成。这些棒状液晶分子被设计用来构建新的结构,以进一步研究它们在中介相中的光异构化。所有化合物都根据它们的基本光谱数据、差示扫描量热计(DSC)和热台偏光显微镜(HS-POM)进行了表征。结果显示,所有分子,即使是那些末端甲基最短的分子,都具有液晶性质。它们的中间相在85至145°C的温度范围内为向列相。它们不仅在甲醇溶液中而且在中介相中对紫外线表现出光敏感性。这些化合物的最高占有轨道(HOMO)、最低未占有轨道(LUMO)以及前沿分子轨道之间的差异(Eg)通过循环伏安法确定。观察到了末端直链烷基偶数-奇数碳数对UV光谱数据和Eg的影响。这些化合物的Eg差异与它们UV光谱中最大吸收波长的差异非常一致。