Electronic Properties of Discotic LC-Materials

Abstract

Abstract We have made extensive studies of the charge-carrier mobilities in the discotic hexagonal mesophases of triphenylene-based discotic liquid crystals. Using the time-of-flight technique, transient photocurrents were measured yielding charge-carrier mobilities for various electric fields and temperatures. Starting from promising results obtained with the monomeric discotic liquid crystalline model compound hexapentyloxytriphenylene (H5T), we synthesized a “discotic twin” with two triphenylene units linked together by a suitable spacer. Additionally, we synthesized a discotic liquid crystalline oligomer consisting of four triphenylene units which are bound to a flexible cyclosiloxane ring. In the dimer and in the oligomer the discotic mesophase can be maintained in a discotic glass. Our data show that in both H5T as well as in the dimer and in the oligomer hole mobilities on the order of magnitude of 10−3cm2/Vs can be reached. Since the mobilities obtained in the oligomeric compounds are comparable t...