Photoluminescent supramolecular liquid crystals formed by hydrogen bonding of non-mesogenic donor and acceptors

Two types of photoluminescent supramolecular liquid crystals were prepared by combining non-mesogenic molecules through hydrogen bonding. Phloroglucinol and 1,3,5-cyclohexanetricarboxylic acid were employed as core molecules and styrylstilbazole peripheral unit was complexed to form star-shape liquid crystals. Their thermal transition behaviors, structures, and optical properties were examined. The complexations of core and peripherals made the resulting compounds form luminescent star-shaped liquid crystals. The prepared luminescent supramolecules exhibited rectangular and hexagonal columnar order, and one of the liquid crystals was highly luminescent. The structures of the columnar phases found for these systems were discussed in relation to the E-shaped conformer of the complexes.