The electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical properties of the discotic mesogen 2,3,6,7,10,11-pentyloxytriphenylene (H5T) were studied with the use of cyclic voltammetry combined with UV-Vis and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy in solution. The UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy of H5T in dichloromethane showed its monomeric state in a concentration range up to 10-3 mol dm-3. The reversible process of the electrochemical formation of the radical cation was evidenced within the experimentally accessible potential window. The in situ UV-Vis spectroelectrochemical measurements further enabled identification of the product of the redox process and evaluation of the effect of aggregation in the concentration range of 5 × 10-3 mol dm-3. The results are discussed in the frame of solvent effects on the self-assembly propensity of solute molecules, in a wide range of concentrations. In particular, the crucial role of the solvent polarity is indicated, which contributes to the understanding of solution effects and pre-programming of supramolecular organic materials, in particular anisotropic disc-shaped hexa-substituted triphenylenes.
Keywords: EPR spectroelectrochemistry; UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy; cyclic voltammetry; discotic liquid crystal; hexaalkoxytriphenylenes; molecular aggregation.