Formation of a Cubic Liquid Crystalline Nanostructure with π‐Conjugated Fluorinated Rods on the Gyroid Minimal Surface. Issue 30 (27th April 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Poppe, Marco; Chen, Changlong; Liu, Feng; Poppe, Silvio; Tschierske, Carsten
• Is Part Of: Chemistry. Volume 23:Issue 30(2017)
• Page Start: 7196
• Page End: 7200
• Publication Date: 2017-04-27
• Subjects: cubic phase -- fluorine substitution -- liquid crystals -- oligo(phenylene ethinylene) -- self-assembly; Chemistry -- Periodicals; 540
• DOI: 10.1002/chem.201700905
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0947-6539

Abstract

Abstract: Bicontinuous cubic phases are of significant importance for numerous applications, for example, for the crystallization of membrane proteins, as photonic materials and as templates for porous silica. A new variant of bicontinuous cubic liquid crystalline phase with Ia 3 ‾ d lattice is reported herein for X‐shaped bolapolyphiles. It was shown that in this class of compounds, cubic‐phase induction can be achieved by proper aromatic core fluorination; in addition, the first cubic phases having π‐conjugated oligo(phenylene ethynylene) rods on the gyroid minimal surface were obtained. These new structures composed of 3D folded layers of parallel arranged π‐conjugated rods should allow charge transport in all three dimensions, which is of interest for organic semiconductor applications. Abstract : The power of fluorination : Tailoring the fluorination pattern modifies the soft self‐assembly of oligo(phenylene ethynylene)‐based X‐shaped polyphiles, leading to the first thermotropic liquid crystalline cubic phase with the π‐conjugated rods forming the gyroid minimal surface. The organization of the rods perpendicular to the minimal surface and parallel to each other allows π‐stacking interactions in all three dimensions of space (see figure).