Search results for " Liquid crystals"

Superfluorinated ionic liquid crystals based on supramolecular, halogen-bonded anions

2016

Unconventional ionic liquid crystals in which the liquid crystallinity is enabled by halogen-bonded supramolecular anions [CnF2 n+1-I⋯I⋯I-CnF2 n+1]- are reported. The material system is unique in many ways, demonstrating for the first time 1) ionic, halogen-bonded liquid crystals, and 2) imidazolium-based ionic liquid crystals in which the occurrence of liquid crystallinity is not driven by the alkyl chains of the cation. Out of the ordinary: The high directionality of halogen bonds and the fluorophobic effect were exploited in the design and synthesis of a new family of unconventional superfluorinated ionic liquid crystals. The liquid crystallinity of the system is driven by halogen-bonded…

Ionic liquid crystals based on viologen dimers: tuning the mesomorphism by varying the conformational freedom of the ionic layer

2016

ABSTRACTWe investigated the liquid crystal behaviour of newly synthesised bistriflimide salts of symmetric viologen dimers. A smectic A phase was observed for intermediate spacer lengths and for relatively long lateral alkyl chains. The systems were characterised by thermal analysis, polarised optical microscopy, X-ray scattering and solid-state NMR. An intermediate ordered smectic phase was also exhibited by the compounds (except for systems with very short lateral chains) consisting of molten layers of alkyl chains and partially ordered ionic layers. These results, relating to the mesomorphic behaviour of viologen salts, are qualitatively compared to those of the more common imidazolium s…

Naturally occurring polyphenols as building blocks for supramolecular liquid crystals – substitution pattern dominates mesomorphism

2021

A modular supramolecular approach towards hydrogen-bonded liquid crystalline assemblies based on naturally occurring polyphenols is reported. The combination of experimental observations, crystallographic studies and semi-empirical analyses of the assemblies provides insight into the structure–property relationships of these materials. Here a direct correlation of the number of donor OH-groups as well as their orientation with the mesomorphic behavior is reported. We discovered that the number and orientation of the OH-groups have a stronger influence on the mesomorphic behavior of the supramolecular assemblies than the connectivity (e.g. stilbenoid or chalconoid) of the hydrogen bond donor…

ASSESMENT OF TEMPERATURE POLARIZATION IN MEMBRANE DISTILLATION CHANNELS BY LIQUID CRYSTAL THERMOGRAPHY

2014

AbstractThe measurement of local temperature distributions within a membrane distillation (MD) channel is a crucial step for the optimization of the channel and spacer geometry. This information allows the estimation of temperature polarization phenomena, which can dramatically influence the thermal efficiency of the process and the optimal choice of the geometric configuration (net spacer features, channel size, etc.). In the present work, a recently presented experimental technique, based on the use of thermochromic liquid crystals and digital image analysis, has been employed in order to assess the temperature polarization phenomena. The local heat transfer coefficient distribution on th…

Experimental investigation of two-side heat transfer in spacer-filled channels

2020

Abstract In Membrane Distillation (MD), spacers support the membranes and promote mixing, thus reducing temperature polarization. Their efficient design requires a knowledge of the distribution of the local heat transfer coefficient h and of its dependence on Reynolds number, spacer geometry and flow-spacer relative orientation. In previous work, we applied Thermochromic Liquid Crystals (TLC) and digital image processing to the measurement of h distributions for different spacer configurations; data were used to validate CFD simulations and select turbulence models. For constructive reasons, the test section allowed only one-side heat transfer, while in most MD configurations (e.g. spiral-w…

Di- and Tricationic Organic Salts: an Overview of Their Properties and Applications

2014

During recent years growing interest has been devoted to the synthesis and applications of polycationic organic salts. Among them, di- and tricationic organic salts can be considered the natural evolution of monocationic ones. These last have given rise to the large class of ionic liquids. In the cases of di- and tricationic organic salts, the potential to change their structural features simply by varying the properties either of the charged heads or of the spacers separating them provides the opportunity to obtain materials suitable for different applications. This review article highlights recent progress in the study of the properties of di- and tricationic organic salts, as well as in …

Ionic liquid crystals based on 3-perfluoalkyl-1,2,4-triazol-4-ium salts

2016

Liquid-crystalline ionic liquids (LC-ILs) are a class of organic materials that of great current interest: they are defined as organic salts that possess the properties of two interesting kinds of material – ionic liquids (ILs) and liquid crystals (LCs). LC-ILs combine many interesting features of ILs (e.g. low volatility and the ability to dissolve solutes with a range of polarities) as well as many attractive properties of LCs (e.g. their intrinsic order and anisotropy). This provides unique opportunities that can be exploited in many different fields, for example their use as solvents for extraction processes as well as electrolytes for batteries, fuel cells, and dye-sensitised solar cel…

Oxadiazolyl-pyridinium based organic salts

2011

A Columnar Liquid Crystal with Permanent Polar Order

2015

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Supramolecular control of liquid crystals by doping with halogen-bonding dyes

2017

Introducing photochromic or polymeric dopants into nematic liquid crystals is a well-established method to create stimuli-responsive photonic materials with the ability to "control light with light". Herein, we demonstrate a new material design concept by showing that specific supramolecular interactions between the host liquid crystal and the guest dopants enhance the optical performance of the doped liquid crystals. By varying the type and strength of the dopant-host interaction, the phase-transition temperature, the order parameter of the guest molecules, and the diffraction signal in response to interference irradiation, can be accurately engineered. Our concept points out the potential…