Blue phases induced by rod-shaped hydrogen-bonded supermolecules possessing no chirality or mesomorphic behaviour

Abstract

A liquid crystalline compound containing (−)-menthol as a chiral centre was prepared and used as a host material, the liquid crystalline behaviour of which were investigated. The host did not exhibit any blue phases on heating and cooling. A series of conventional rod-shaped hydrogen-bonded supermolecules with different terminal chain lengths were synthesized and used as dopants. These supermolecules did not possess chirality or exhibit any mesomorphic behaviour. By adding proton acceptors, proton donors and supermolecules into the host liquid crystal, respectively, the effects of these dopants on the liquid crystalline properties of the mixtures were studied. The formation of blue phases was induced by adding supermolecules into the host liquid crystals. The widest temperature range of the blue phase was about 45 K.