Coatable Negative Dispersion Retarder: Kinetically Controlled Self-Assembly Pathway of Butterfly-Shaped Molecular Building Blocks for the Construction of Nanocolumns

Abstract

Disc-shaped building blocks withcolumnar phases have attractedattention for their potential in optical applications, including aretarder. However, to achieve coatable high-performance optical films,it is essential to understand a subtle interaction balance betweenbuilding blocks and relevant self-assembled behaviors during materialprocessing. Herein, we studied a self-assembled nanocolumn evaluationof linear butterfly-shaped dendrons (T-A(3)D) consistingof thiophene-based conjugated core and flexible alkyl dendron. X-raydiffraction provided insight into the unique hexagonal columnar liquidcrystal phase of T-A(3)D, driven by intermolecular hydrogenbonding and coplanarity of the thiophene-based conjugated core. Theformation of a self-assembled nanocolumn with high mobility enabledthe uniaxial orientation of butterfly-shaped T-A(3)D on thealigned rod-shaped nematic reactive mesogens, resulting in a transparentand colorless two-layered negative retarder. The self-assembled nanocolumnconsisting of butterfly-shaped molecule would break a new ground fordeveloping advanced optical thin films.