Ferroelectric and mesomorphic properties of oxovanadium(IV) complexes with long alkoxy chains

Abstract

The chiral and racemic oxovanadium(IV) salmmen complexes, [VO(X)-(C16-salmmen)] (X = R(1), S(2), and rac(3); C16-salmmen = N,N′-monomethylenebis(5-hexadecyloxysalicylideneimine)) containing 5-substituted alkoxy chains on aromatic rings were synthesized, and their mesomorphic behaviors and ferroelectric properties were also investigated. All complexes exhibited both smectic A and chiral smectic C mesophases above 360 K, and they showed ferroelectric properties in the chiral smectic C mesophase. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.