Synthesis of chiral inducers having double stereogenic centers for electrochemical polymerization in cholesteric liquid crystal medium

• Synthesis and characterization of a series of new chiral induces.
• Preparation of asymmetric liquid crystal electrolyte solution.
• Electropolymerization in asymmetric liquid crystals.
• Optically active electrochromism.
• Linear dichroism of polymers prepared in magnetic field.

An enantiomeric pair of chiral inducers with double chiral carbons was synthesized by a simple three-step reaction strategy. The process affords the chiral inducers with good yield, high enantiomeric excess, and good compatibility with nematic liquid crystal. Addition of a small amount of the chiral inducers thus synthesized in this study produced cholesteric architecture. Electrochemical polymerization in the asymmetric liquid crystal environment affords chiroptically active polymers as atropisomers. The electrochemical polymerization under magnetic field of 4 T affords polymer films with linear dichroism. The polymers exhibit a significant color change from dark-green in the oxidized state to light-green in the reduced state. The redox process of the polymer films in an electrolyte provides a reversible absorption, circular dichroism, and linear dichroism spectral changes.

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