Discotic liquid crystals of transition metal complexes 29: mesomorphism and charge transport properties of alkylthio-substituted phthalocyanine rare-earth metal sandwich complexes

Abstract

A series of bis[octakis(alkylthio)phthalocyaninato]rare-earth-metal(III) discotic compounds, [(CnS)8Pc]2M (M = Eu(III), Tb(III), Lu(III); n = 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18), has been synthesized. The mesomorphic and supramolecular structures have been investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry, polarization microscopy and temperature-dependent X-ray diffraction techniques. From the X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic results, it was revealed that in each of the rare-earth compound classes, [(CnS)8Pc]2Eu (n = 10, 12), [(CnS)8Pc]2Tb (n = 10, 12, 14) and [(CnS)8Pc]2Lu (n = 10, 12), derivatives were found which displayed a novel unique pseudo-hexagonal mesophase.