Modulation of phase behaviors and charge carrier mobilities by linkage length in discotic liquid crystal dimers.

A clear structure-property relationship was revealed in a series of triphenylene-based dimers, which contained two triphenylene nuclei each bearing five β-OC4H9 substituents and are linked through a flexible O(CH2)nO polymethylene chain (n=6-12). Dimers with the linkage close to twice the length of the free side chains (n=8, 9) exhibited a single Colhp phase, while others with the linkage shorter (n=6, 7) or longer (n=10, 11, 12) showed multiphase behaviors with a transition from the Colhp phase to Colh phase; hole mobilities of Colhp phases reached 1.4×10(-2) cm2 V(-1) s(-1) in the dimer for which the linkage is exactly twice the length of the free side chains (n=8), and decreased regularly both with linkage length becoming shorter or longer.