This paper deals with the influence of the nature and number of solid interfaces on the alignment of the columns in a semiconducting discotic liquid crystal. The solid substrates have been characterized in terms of their roughness and surface energy. The alignment of the discotic liquid crystal columns on these substrates has been determined by optical microscopy under crossed polarizers and by tapping-mode atomic force microscopy. The nature of the substrates has negligible influence on the alignment. The key parameter is the confinement imposed to the film. These surprising observations are explained by the antagonist alignment role of gas and solid interfaces.

A joint theoretical and experimental study of the electronic and structural properties of liquid crystalline metal-free phthalocyanines bearing a strong potential for charge and exciton transport has been performed. The synthesis of such compounds has been triggered by quantum chemical calculations showing that: (i) hole transport is favored in metal-free phthalocyanines by their extremely low reorganization energy (0.045 eV) and large electronic splittings; and (ii) the efficiency of energy transfer along the one-dimensional discotic stacks is weakly affected by rotational disorder due to the two-dimensional character of the molecules. We have synthesized two metal-free phthalocyanines with different branched aliphatic chains on the gram scale to allow for a full characterization of their solid-state properties. The two compounds self-organize in liquid crystalline mesophases, as evidenced by optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray powder diffraction, and molecular dynamics simulations. They exhibit a columnar rectangular mesophase at room temperature and a columnar hexagonal mesophase at elevated temperature.

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A convenient method to induce face-on orientation of an alkoxy phtalocyanine discotic mesogen is described. The alignment is imposed by the confinement of the discotic thin films with a top sacrificial polymer layer that is easily removed by washing with a selective solvent, after thermal annealing. Thin films have been characterized by optical and atomic force microscopy, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, and grazing incidence wide angle X-ray scattering. The data converge in showing the central role of the sacrificial layer in promoting alignment with the planar molecules orienting parallel to the substrate in an essentially homeotropic arrangement over large lateral length scales and the persistence of this desirable alignment after removal of the layer.

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We report on the microstructure of 2(3)-9(10)-16(17)-23(24)-tetra(2-decyltetradecyloxy)- phthalocyanine/peryleneoleylamine (PcH2/PTCDI) blends. Thin films, to be used as active layers in organic photovoltaic cells, were prepared by spin coating and spin casting of dilute toluene solutions on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates. The morphology of the thin films has been studied using Tapping Mode (TM) atomic force microscopy (AFM), whereas Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used to reveal the various top electrode morphologies, inherent to the different film processing conditions.