| Abstract 摘要 | Ionic Liquid Crystals (ILCs) are a new class of compounds that potentially combine the properties and technological applications of Liquid Crystals (LCs) with the outstanding solvent properties of Ionic Liquids (ILs). From a chemical/molecular point of view ILCs are composed of similar ions as found in ILs (that is, quaternized nitrogen salts of low-coordinating inorganic anions) while from a physical/macroscopic point of view they exhibit mesomorphism as LCs. However, a detailed understanding of their properties and, more important, of the relationship between molecular structure and cation/anion combination, on the one hand, with the properties, type and thermal range of stability of the mesophases formed, on the other, is still lacking. In this presentation we will overview some experimental work of our group concerning the synthesis and characterization of ILCs based on the viologen cation (1,1'-dialkyl-4,4'-bipyridinium) aimed at investigating such relationships by systematic changes of the molecular structure. We will show how even apparently minor details on the molecule's architecture may have a dramatic influence on the phase behaviour and thermal range of the mesophase. Finally we will discuss applications of such systems in polymeric membranes and the role of MD simulations in the understanding of their structural and dynamic properties. |
