New liquid crystalline compounds based on 1,4-diarylbuta-1,3-dienes

Abstract

The first group of fully characterised mesogenic (E,E)-1,4-diarylbuta-1,3-dienes, substituted in the para-position of one aryl ring by an alkoxy-group and in the para-position of the other aryl group by a cyano- or halogeno-group has been prepared by a Wadsworth–Emmons procedure; their physical properties of high birefringence and low viscosity in combination make them particularly suitable for use in liquid crystal display devices when mixed with known liquid crystalline materials.