Design of bipolar transport D-A discotic liquid crystals based on triphenylene and perylene cores: Effect of the chain length of ester groups

A series of novel discotic liquid-crystalline donor–acceptor dyads (D-A) adjusted by changing the chain length of diester groups on perylene were synthesized based on triphenylene and perylene units which linked by a flexible linkage of 9-nonyloxy-1-amine. The mesomorphism properties and their self-assembly behaviors were studied by differential scanning calorimetry, polarized optical microscopy, one-dimensional wide-angle X-ray diffraction, small angle X-ray scattering and two-dimensional wide-angle X-ray diffraction. Charge carrier mobilities were measured by Time-of-flight device. These discotic liquid crystalline compounds exhibited highly efficient ambipolar charge-transport properties and the charge carrier mobility can reach the order of 10 −4  cm 2  v −1  s −1 by segregated donor–acceptor columns, providing potential utility of the strategy in organic optoelectronic applications.