Preliminary communication Electro-optical properties of benzyl fluoroalkyl ether derivatives

Several new fluorinated liquid crystal compounds, 4- n -propylbicyclohexylbenzyl fluoroalkyl ethers (C2BFE) and a 4- n -propylcyclohexylbenzyl 2-perfluoropropoxy-2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropyl ether (C1BFE), were synthesized and their phase transition behaviours and electro-optical properties investigated by DSC, polarizing optical microscopy, Abbe refractometry and other physical methods. All the C2BFE compounds showed a layered mesophase like SmB, while C2BFE had no mesophase. All the fluorinated compounds have good solubility in ZLI-1132 (more than 15 wt %) and can be used as a component for lowering the refractive anisotropy (Delta n) of the nematic solvent ZLI-1132.