Combination of Electron-deficient and Electron-rich Discotic Liquid Crystals in Novel Unsymmetrical Columnar Twins

The synthesis, characterization and mesomorphic properties of a new type of discotic liquid crystalline dimer bearing an electron-rich triphenylene discotic connected to an electron-deficient anthraquinone discotic via an alkyl chain spacer are reported. This donor-sigma-acceptor type molecule displays a columnar mesophase over a wide temperature range.