In both physical and biological systems, chirality (handedness) is crucial. It aids in the distinction between chemical and physical processes. Chirality has a significant impact on the physical qualities of physical systems. It has an impact on molecular assemblies, such as structure and crystal formation. Liquid crystals are made up of mesogenic (stiff rod-like or disk-like) molecules and have orientational order. A chiral molecule has a mirror image that is different from itself. In this post, we will share with you about the chiral dopants you should know.
Chiral dopants are liquid crystal materials. They are optically active chemicals that create helical structures in a host nematic liquid crystal mixture. It is necessary to add chiral dopants to the nematic liquid crystal mixture when they are used in display panels. This is done to regulate the helical pitch to 10-20 µm. Helical twisting power (HTP) was established since the objective evaluation of helical pitch and inducing helical structures’ intensities was required. The strength of the HTP, also the relationships between HTP and molecular structure or speciation, was examined in various compounds.
In chiral nematic liquid crystals, chiral dopants are commonly used. L-limonene (righthanded) diffuses faster than D-limonene in chiral nematic liquid crystals with right-handed helical structure (left-handed). This effect could also be used in the pharmaceutical business for enantiomer separation. The diffusion constant was found to be dependent on the handedness of the guest and host molecules. Chiral differentiation in diffusion is the reason for this. A guest chiral molecule diffused significantly faster in a chiral host with the same handedness.
R811 (CAS NO .133676-09-2) and S811 (CAS NO .87321-20-8)
The versatile actuation modes of photoresponsive liquid-crystalline polymer springs were designed and synthesized by researchers. Light causes molecular-scale motion (cis-trans photoisomerization). It is transformed into significant macroscopic deformations of springs via a mechanism involving an increase in disorder. This molecular strategy allows access to (and control over) a wide range of morphology and photoresponses in spiral ribbons. These chiral items have more than one actuation mode stored in them. It can be reversed when switching from one handedness to the other. Furthermore, these chiral objects can be employed to perform work. These adaptable actuators provide a solid foundation for developing innovative functional materials. These materials can provide a cost-effective, clean, and electrode-free alternative to conventional actuators. The chiral dopants R811 and S811 are employed to create these photo-responsive liquid-crystalline polymer springs.
CB 15 (CAS NO .59137-36-9)
This is a nematic liquid crystal composed of a hardcore (the biphenyl) and a flexible tail (the hydrocarbon tail). It is achiral, which means that its mirror image is identical to itself. Long axes of molecules are aligned along a single direction known as the liquid crystal director in the nematic phase. The liquid crystal director is unidirectional in space in its ground state. If a constituent molecule (or a constituent component) is chiral, the liquid crystal director bends in space. This liquid crystal is also known as cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) or chiral nematic liquid crystal (N*LC).
To generate chemical nematic liquid crystal phases, varying concentrations, and ratios of R811, S811, R5011, S5011, CB15 were utilized to achieve the best diffusion properties.
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