Towards liquid crystal synthesis using high throughput and micro reactor technologies

Abstract

While many areas of chemistry, including pharmaceuticals, materials and fine chemicals, have embraced high throughput technologies, the field of liquid crystals has not. This is surprising, as the ability to screen large numbers of homologues and analogues in a short space of time is one of the rate-limiting steps in the development of new liquid crystalline materials. Here, the role of chemical micro reactors (CMRs) in the field of synthetic organic chemistry will be reviewed in light of their potential application in liquid crystal synthesis.