Tuning helical twisting power of isosorbide-based chiral dopants by chemical modifications

Isosorbide-based chiral dopants (ICD) with various substituent groups were newly synthesized to control their helical twisting powers (HTP). Phase transition behaviors of ICD molecules were first investigated by combined techniques of differential scanning calorimetry, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, and cross-polarized optical microscopy. ICD with n-hexyloxy end groups formed the multiple ordered phases, and those with methoxy or acetoxy end groups exhibited a simple crystal-to-isotropic transition. Energy-minimized chemical conformations of ICD molecules revealed that all the ICDs had twisted conformations and that the extension of the benzoyl ester moiety induced a higher twisted conformation. By varying substitution groups, HTPs of ICDs were controlled from 26.6 to 80.μm^-1. Particularly, ICD with an acetoxy end group (ICD-2) showed the largest HTP. It was also realized that by controlling the content of ICD-2 from 3.0 to 4.5mol%, the helical pitch length of cholesteric LC mixture was adjusted to reflect a specific visible light.