Syntheses and Functionarities of Metallomesogens

众所周知，液晶只是作为成像材料而被非常活跃地研究。由于液晶显示器(LCD)的应用过于突出，基于液晶状态本身的其他可能性可能被忽略。在这个课题组中，我们站在了与传统思维方法完全不同的观点上，即“液晶=在LCD上的应用”。因此，我们研究的不是传统的液晶，而是迄今未知的新型液晶。目前，已知的大多数液晶都是纯有机化合物。然而，我们已经合成了不同类型的液晶：分子形状为盘状的盘状液晶、含金属的金属成因液晶、氢键液晶、离子液晶等。尽管这些研究可能被认为是与传统的液晶研究工作不同的，但在这些材料中发现了非常有用的新功能，如高导电性、磁性等。由于该领域的新颖性，日本的金属材料研究人员倾向于在他们自己的会议和/或会议上展示他们的作品。我们没有机会在同一地点与大家一起讨论。因此，我们建议将本课题组命名为《金属生物质的合成与功能》，为期两年，从1997年到1998年。在这个课题组中，我们可以在第一时间见面，讨论液晶显示技术的新领域。作为结果，我们达成了共同的共识，即新型功能液晶材料在三个新的扩展领域有望有很大的发展：(I)金属成因(包括热致和溶致液晶)，(Ii)盘状液晶和高电导液晶，以及(Iii)氢键液晶和离子液晶。我们坚信，这三个领域可以成为未来很有前途的中间相化学。

It is well known that liquid crystals have been very actively investigated only as imaging materials. Since the application for liquid crystal display (LCD) is too outstandingly useful, the other possibilities based on the liquid crystalline state itself may be neglected.In this research group, we have stood on the viewpoint which is totally different from the conventional thinking method as "liquid crystals=application to LCD." Hence, we have studied not on the conventional liquid crystals for LCD but on novel liquid cryatals unknown so far.At this present time, most of the liguid crystals known are pure organic compounds. Nevertheless, we have synthesized different types of liquid crystals (LCs) : discotic LCs which molecular shapes are disk-like, metallomesogens which contain metals, hydrogenbonding LCs, ionic LCs, and so on. Although these investigations may be regarded as heretical from the conventional LC research works, very sueful novel functionalities like as high-conductivity, magnetism, and so on have been found in these materials.Researchers of metallomesogens in Japan tend to represent their works in their own inherent conferences and/or sessions because of novelty of this field. We had no opportunity to discuss with all together at the same place. Hence, we proposed to make this research group named as "Syntheses and Functionalities of Metallomesogens" for two years from 1997 to 1998. In this research group, we could meet all together and discuss about the new fields of LCs at the first time. As the results, we have reached to our common consensus that great development of novel functional LC materials can be expected on three new expansive fields : (i) metallomesogens (including both thermotropic and lyotropic LCs), (ii) discotic LCs and high-conductive LCs, and (iii) hydrogenbonding LCs and ionic LCs. We strongly believe that these three fields can become future-promising mesophase chemistry.