In recent years there are several reports showing that bent-core mesogenic molecules are able to form biaxial nematic phase in which molecular rotation around the long molecular axis is strongly hindered. The x-ray pattern with azimuthally split signals at low angle region of diffraction is usually given as evidence for the biaxial nematic phase. We show experimentally and theoretically that such x-ray pattern is due to the local smectic- C fluctuations ("cybotactic" groups) in the uniaxial nematic phase.

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Properties of new fluorescent, mesogenic compounds bearing [2]benzothiophene moiety are presented. Materials show strong fluorescence of green or red light with quantum yield up to 30%, in liquid crystalline phases the emitted light is strongly polarized. For material forming ferroelectric liquid crystal or doped into polar smectic matrix, the possibility of controlling fluorescence light intensity through the application of electric field is shown.

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SummaryBent-shaped mesogens possessing a biphenyl as a central core have been synthesized and the role of the terminal chain and the orientation of the ester as a linkage group have been investigated. For the studied molecular core we have established that both parameters play an important role for the mesomorphic properties. The polyfluoroalkyl terminal chain supports the formation of mesophases, and the introduction of a chiral lactate terminal chain destabilizes mesophases for the first type of mutual orientation of ester groups, attached to the central core. On the contrary, for the opposite orientation of esters, the terminal chain has no effect on the mesomorphic properties, and columnar phases have been found for all compounds. A unique phase sequence has been found for the mesogen with the fluorinated chain. A generalized tilted smectics, SmCG, have been observed in a temperature interval between two different lamellar SmCP phases and characterized by X-ray and dielectric measurements. The dielectric spectroscopy data are unique and presented for the first time in the SmCG phase providing new information about the molecular dynamics.

New liquid crystalline (LC) compounds containing the [2]benzothiophene chromophore unit have been synthesised and their mesomorphic properties studied. Mesomorphic and fluorescent properties have been modified by various chemical moieties. Among others, terminal fluoroalkyl and/or chiral chains were introduced to stabilise mesophases and support the formation of polar phases. In spite of the bent shape due to the central 1,3-diphenylbenzo[c]thiophene unit, all compounds exhibit phases typical for the rod-like LC: nematic, smectic A and smectic C or their chiral analogues using the chiral (S)-C 2 H 5 CH(CH 3 )(CH 2 ) 6 CO or (S)-C 10 H 21 OCH(CH 3 )CO chain. The orientational order in the nematic phase was studied by polarised infrared measurements. The fluorescent properties of the studied compounds have been measured and their parameters established.

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