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Homolog series based on three aromatic rings bearing terminal alkoxy chain of various lengths named 4-(4-(alkoxy)phenylimino)methyl)phenyl nicotinate (An) were synthesized. The alkoxy-chain length changed between 6, 8 and 16 carbons. Mesomorphic and optical properties were carried out via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized optical microscopy (POM). Elemental analyses, FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy were carried out to elucidate the molecular structures of the prepared derivatives. Mesomorphic results indicated that all the synthesized homologs (An) are monomorphic possessing the nematic (N) phase enantiotropically with wide thermal stability. Computational simulations were measured via density functional theory (DFT) theoretical calculation tool. The estimated thermal and geometrical parameters are in agreement with the experimental data. By discussing the estimated parameters, it was found that the molecular architecture, dipole moment and the polarizability of the investigated compounds are highly affected by the length of the attached terminal flexible chain and the location of the nitrogen atom in the other terminal aromatic ring. Binary phase diagrams of two corresponding homologs with different proportionating terminals were constructed, and their binary phase physical properties were discussed in terms of the temperature range and stability of the N phase.

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A novel propitious nanoporous anodized stainless steel 316L (NASS316L) photoanode was developed for water splitting. The anodization could successfully produce a uniform nanoporous (∼ 90 nm in pore diameter) array (∼ 2.0 μm thick) of NASS316L with a high pore density. Several techniques, including FESEM, EDX, XRD, XPS, ICP-OES, and UV–vis-NIR spectrophotometry, were employed to characterize the catalyst and to assess and interpret its activity toward water splitting. Surprisingly, the NASS316L retained almost the same composition of the bare stainless steel 316L, which recommended a symmetric dealloying mechanism during anodization. It also possessed a narrow band gap energy (1.77 eV) and a unique photoelectrocatalytic activity (∼ 4.1 mA cm–2 at 0.65 V versus Ag/AgCl, 4-fold to that of α-Fe2O3) toward water splitting. The onset potential (−0.85 V) in the photocurrent–voltage curve of the NASS316L catalyst demonstrated a negative shift in its Fermi level when compared to α-Fe2O3. The high (23% at 0.2 V vs Ag/AgCl) incident-photon-to-current conversion efficiency and the robust durability revealed from the in situ analysis of the produced H2 gas continued recommending the peerless inexpensive and abundant NASS316L catalyst for potential visible-induced solar applications.

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