The principal aim of this Thesis is the synthesis and characterisation of a range of novel liquid crystals designed to exhibit the twist-bend nematic phase (NTB), in order to enhance our understanding of the relationships between molecular structure and the observation of NTB behaviour. Moreover, the inclusion of chiral fragments allowed the effects of molecular chirality on the structure of the NTB phase, specifically the chiral twist-bend nematic phase, N*TB, to be studied. In Chapter 3, a series of non-symmetric odd-membered liquid crystal dimers are prepared and the terminal chain length m is varied. A change in the local molecular structure from intercalated to bilayer is seen on increasing m, but this has no apparent effect on the stability of both the nematic and twist-bend nematic phases, which show a regular dependence on m. A novel twist-bend smectic phase is reported. Chapter 4 investigates the effects of branching this terminal chain on phase behaviour. It is evident that in dimers with a shorter spacer, branching destabilises the N and NTB phases while stabilising smectic behaviour, but in longer homologues smectic behaviour is also destabilised. Chapter 5 explores the effect of molecular bulk on phase behaviour, specifically the stability of the NTB phase, by the incorporation of a pyrene moiety. This group supresses crystallisation such that stable, low temperature NTB phases are formed despite the bulky group. Chapters 6 and 7 study the inclusion of chiral moieties in bent-shaped, odd-membered dimers: specifically, 2-methylbutyl, 1-methylheptyl (6) and lactic esters (7). New examples of the rarely observed chiral twist-bend nematic phase are seen. Phase behaviour is investigated and compared to achiral and racemic analogues. Chapter 8 describes the mesogenic behaviour of molecular complexes assembled by hydrogen bonding between both achiral and chiral stilbazole-based and benzoic acid-based fragments. A selection of the complexes exhibit the N(*)TB phase despite only one or neither component being mesogenic.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:767357 |
| Date | January 2019 |
| Creators | Walker, Rebecca |
| Contributors | Imrie, Corrie T. ; Storey, John M. D. |
| Publisher | University of Aberdeen |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=240697 |
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