A new series of teraryl 2-(4-alkoxybiphen-4'-yl)-5-methylpyridines (nO-PPPyMe, n = 3-8) nematic liquid crystal compounds, bearing a biphenylene core and a picoline terminus, were synthesized using a short two-step reaction, and overall yields between 34% and 38% were obtained. Spectral analysis results were in accordance with the expected structures. The thermotropic behavior of the teraryl liquid crystal compounds was investigated through polarized optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. All compounds exhibited a solely enantiotropic nematic phase at the medium-high temperature range of 162.4-234.2 °C. Furthermore, the results for the nO-PPPyMe series were analyzed relative to three other compound series, mO-PPPyCN (m = 2-8), iO-PPQMe (i = 3-8) and xO-PPyPMe (x = 1-10). Consequently, the effect of pyridine on the mesophase of teraryl liquid crystals was demonstrated.
Keywords: liquid crystals; nematic phase; picoline terminus; teraryl mesogen.