Engineering of an iron-terpyridine complex with supramolecular gels and mesomorphic properties

A new iron-terpyridine complex based on a 3,5-diacylaminotoluene platform bearing two phenyl rings appended with aliphatic chains provides robust and transparent organo-gels and liquid-crystalline materials. The LC mesophase was characterized by small-angle X-ray diffraction, and is described as a columnar phase with a rectangular lattice symmetry. Based on the measured parameters, a molecular packing model is suggested in which two complexes aggregate together to form a pseudo elliptical plateau; the latter then pile up to form the columns.