Banana-shaped Liquid Crystals (2008)

Undergraduate: Lori Cooper

Faculty Advisor: Edward Samulski
Department: Chemistry

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The purpose of this project is to synthesize new non-linear liquid crystals and to examine their thermal transitions and optical properties. Bent-shaped liquid crystals have attracted attention because they form a biaxial nematic phase. Two sets of molecules were synthesized using a 2,5-bis-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (ODBP) core along with standard esterification and alkylation techniques. For the first set of synthesized liquid crystals fluorine was integrated into the structure in an attempt to lower the transition temperatures of the liquid crystalline phases. The second set of molecules synthesized were dimers of the ODBP core. In this process two asymmetric (mono phenol) core molecules were reacted with a diacid to form ester linkages. Two different linker lengths were synthesized and studied. The results of these studies will be presented at the symposium. Further research with the biaxial nematic phase of non-linear liquid crystals could lead to technological improvements of liquid crystal displays.