s-Triazine-Based Functional Discotic Liquid Crystals: Synthesis, Mesomorphism and Photoluminescence.

A new series of C3 -symmetric, π-conjugated molecules was designed, synthesized and characterized. The materials were derived from electron-accepting s-triazine, appended covalently to electron-donating styrylbenzene arms, and were readily prepared in excellent yield with high purity by means of three-fold condensation of triphosphonate with n-alkoxybenzaldehydes under Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction conditions. Examination of the phase transitional properties by several complementary techniques evidenced self-assembly into a hexagonal columnar phase, occurring over wide and reasonable thermal ranges.