• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.220-224
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• 2004

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.230-237
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• 2010

A homologous series of linear liquid crystal dimers, ${\alpha},{\omega}$-bis(4-nitroazobenzene-4'-carbonyloxy)alkanes (NATWESn, n = 2~8, 10, the number of methylene units in the spacer) have been synthesized, and the thermal behavior of the series has been investigated. All the dimers formed enantiotropic nematic phases. The nematic-isotropic transition temperatures of the dimers and their entropy variation at the phase transition showed a large odd-even effect as a function of n. This behavior was rationalized in terms of the change in the average shape of the spacer on varing the parity of the spacer. The thermal stability and degree of order in the nematic phase and the magnitude of the odd-even effect of NATWESn were very similar to those of the corresponding ether compounds, while they were significantly different from those of the monomesogenic compounds, 4-{4'-(nitrophenylazo)phenoxy}alkanoyl chlorides and the side-chain liquid-crystalline polymers, the poly[1-{4-(4'-nitrophenylazo) phenoxycarbonylalkanoyloxy}ethylene]s. The results were discussed in terms of the 'irtual trimer model'by Imrie.