Reentrant 2D Nanostructured Liquid Crystals by Competition between Molecular Packing and Conformation: Potential Design for Multistep Switching of Ionic Conductivity
Reentrant 2D Nanostructured Liquid Crystals by Competition between Molecular Packing and Conformation: Potential Design for Multistep Switching of Ionic Conductivity
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DOI：
10.1002/cphc.202200927
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发表时间：
2023-01-23
期刊：
影响因子：
2.9
通讯作者：
Kato，Takashi
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hamaguchi，Kazuma;Lu，Huanjun;Kato，Takashi
软物质和生物体系中的重入现象因其性质与高官能度密切相关而引起人们的广泛关注。在这里，我们报告了一个结合实验和计算研究的自组装和重入行为的单组分热致近晶液晶实现动态功能材料。我们设计并合成了一种介晶分子，它由一个二环-反式，反式-二环己基介晶和一个极性环状碳酸酯基团组成，并通过一个柔性的四（氧杂环丁烷）间隔基连接。该分子表现出前所未有的层状近晶相序列，顺序为：近晶A-近晶B-重入近晶A。电子密度分布和大规模分子动力学模拟表明，双环己基介晶的堆叠和四（氧杂环己基）链的构象灵活性之间的竞争诱导这种不寻常的重入行为。已经开发了离子导电的可重入液晶材料，其响应于温度而经历多步电导率变化。凹型液晶是一种具有开关功能的新型液晶材料。
Reentrant phenomena in soft matter and biosystems have attracted considerable attention because their properties are closely related to high functionality. Here, we report a combined experimental and computational study on the self‐assembly and reentrant behavior of a single‐component thermotropic smectic liquid crystal toward the realization of dynamically functional materials. We have designed and synthesized a mesogenic molecule consisting of an alicyclictrans,trans‐bicyclohexyl mesogen and a polar cyclic carbonate group connected by a flexible tetra(oxyethylene) spacer. The molecule exhibits an unprecedented sequence of layered smectic phases, in the order: smectic A‐smectic B‐reentrant smectic A. Electron density profiles and large‐scale molecular dynamics simulations indicate that competition between the stacking of bicyclohexyl mesogens and the conformational flexibility of tetra(oxyethylene) chains induces this unusual reentrant behavior. Ion‐conductive reentrant liquid‐crystalline materials have been developed, which undergo the multistep conductivity changes in response to temperature. The reentrant liquid crystals have potential as new mesogenic materials exhibiting switching functions.