A supramolecular approach to fullerene-containing liquid crystals

A cyclotriveratrylene (CTV) derivative substituted with 18 surrounding long alkyl chains (1) is able to form a 2:1 host-guest complex with C-60 in the solid state. Observation of the brown product obtained from C-60 and the C TV derivative I directly after preparation by polarized optical microscopy revealed a fluid birefringent phase at room temperature corresponding to a nematic phase. When the sample is heated above 70 degreesC, the birefringen ce of the texture under the microscope disappears and the X-ray diffraction pattern is irreversibly transformed into a pattern characteristic of a cub ic phase. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.