The underlying theme of this Critical Review is the relationship between molecular structure and liquid crystalline behaviour in a class of materials referred to as liquid crystal oligomers. For the purposes of this review, a liquid crystal oligomer will be defined as consisting of molecules composed of semi-rigid mesogenic units connected via flexible spacers. Much of the review will be devoted to structure–property relationships in the simplest oligomers, namely dimers, in which just two mesogenic units are connected by a single spacer. Along the way we will see how this molecular architecture has been exploited to address issues in a range of quite different areas and has given rise to potential applications for these materials. On the whole, only compounds in which the mesogenic units are linked essentially in a linear fashion will be considered while structures such as liquid crystal dendrimers and tetrapodes fall outside the scope of this review. The review will be of interest not only to scientists working directly in this area but in particular to those interested in understanding the relationships between structure and properties in polymers, and those designing materials for new applications (231 references).

Liquid crystal dimers and higher oligomers: between monomers and polymers

The nematic phase of discotic liquid crystals, although rarely observed, has made very significant progress over the past three decades since their discovery. It has made its way from a mere scientific curiosity to application in commodities. The negative birefringence films formed by polymerized nematic discotic liquid crystals have been commercialized as compensation films to enlarge the viewing angle and enhance the contrast ratio of commonly used twisted nematic liquid-crystal displays. High strength and high performance carbon fibers for industrial applications have been obtained from the carbonaceous mesophase and a liquid-crystal display device with wide and symmetrical viewing angle has been demonstrated by using discotic nematic liquid crystals. Discotic films with patterned colours have been obtained from cholesteric lyo-mesophases of discotic liquid crystals. Various molecular architectures have been designed and synthesized to exhibit the discotic nematic phase over a wide range of temperature. This critical review focuses on the synthesis and physical properties of these fascinating materials. It deals with the structure of various nematic phases, different discotic cores exhibiting the nematic phase, novel designing and transition temperature engineering principles, alignment and physical properties, and finally the application of discotic nematic LCs as the active switching component and as optical compensation films for widening the viewing angle and contrast ratio of liquid-crystal display devices (98 references).

Discotic nematic liquid crystals: science and technology

Phasmids and polycatenar mesogens

A liquid crystal dimer is composed of molecules containing two conventional mesogenic groups linked via a flexible spacer. These materials show quite different behaviour to conventional low molar mass liquid crystals and in particular their transitional behaviour exhibits a dramatic dependence on the length and parity of the flexible spacer. In this review a comprehensive overview of the relationships between molecular structure and liquid crystallinity in dimers is provided. This includes a description of the novel modulated and intercalated smectic phases exhibited by dimers.

Liquid Crystal Dimers

Progress in the field of discotic liquid crystals is summarized, with emphasis on experimental results rather than theoretical developments. Examples are given of discotic mesogens (including metallo-mesogens) and discotic polymers, and the structures of the mesophases identified to date are described.

Discotic liquid crystals. A brief review

Recent studies have established that not only some polymeric materials exhibit nematic biaxial phases, but that also low molecular weight compounds can do so if certain structural conditions are me...

D. Demus

Papers

News on Nematic-Biaxial Liquid Crystals1