Recent advances in heterocycle-based metal-free calamitics

Abstract

Liquid crystals (LCs) are ordered soft materials formed by self-assembling molecules, which combine anisotropic properties with the fluidity of a liquid. They can potentially be used as functional materials for electron, ion or molecular transport, which can be applied in opto-electronic devices, aligned electrolytes and biological systems. In particular, the calamitic LCs have been promising candidates from the very beginning of liquid crystal research, are applied successfully in various optical devices and are recently rediscovered in the field of organic semiconductors. New LCs with low viscosity, adapted mesophase range and structure, and high reliability were necessary to achieve the rapid transformation from flat computer monitors to large displays for television. This review highlights remarkable mesophase stability and physical properties, and potential applications of various heterocyclic calamitic LCs in modern devices.