B. Donnio et Dw. Bruce, Liquid-crystalline, polycatenar complexes of silver(I): dependence of the mesomorphism on the ligand and the anion, NEW J CHEM, 23(3), 1999, pp. 275-286
We have synthesised several series of poly(alkoxy)stilbazole ligands, and i
nvestigated the thermal behaviour of their complexes with some silver salts
. Most of the complexes, with the general formula [AgL2] [X], where X = dod
ecyl sulfate (DOS) or trifluoromethanesulfonate (OTf), and L = poly(alkoxy)
stilbazole, were found to be liquid-crystalline over a wide-temperature ran
ge, the vast majority of them being low-melting. The mesomorphic properties
were mainly dominated by the formation of hexagonal columnar (Col(h)) phas
es and to a lesser extent, of bicontinuous Ia (3) over bar d cubic phases;
monotropic nematic and smectic C phases were also seen for one structural t
ype of compound only. The mesophases were assigned on the basis of their op
tical textures under polarised optical microscope (POM) prior to being iden
tified by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The temperatures and enthalpies of the t
ransitions were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The
mesomorphism was found to be strongly dependent on the substitution pattern
of the ligand, that is on the number, position and length of alkoxy chains
, as well as on the type of the counter anion. We explain the mesomorphism
in terms of ionic interactions and in terms of mean interfacial curvature b
etween the hydrophobic, aliphatic chains and the rigid, aromatic, central c
ore, by analogy to lyotropic systems.