Supermolecules containing a tetrahedral core: A new class of liquid-crystalline siloxanes

It is shown that supermolecules with a tetrahedral symmetry and appropriate side-chains exhibit liquid-crystalline phase behaviour. The use of an optimised hydrosylation reaction allows for the synthesis of materials that have four mesogenic groups attached to a siloxane core, where the conformation and the configuration are unambiguous. The materials show low glass transition temperatures and, depending on the spacer length, complex liquid-crystalline morphologies.