Synthesis, Characterization and Study of Liquid Crystals Based on the Ionic Association of the Keplerate Anion [Mo132O372(CH3COO)30(H2O)72]42− and Imidazolium Cations
Nancy Watfa,
Sébastien Floquet,
Emmanuel Terazzi,
William Salomon,
Laure Guénée,
Kerry Lee Buchwalder,
Akram Hijazi,
Daoud Naoufal,
Claude Piguet,
Emmanuel Cadot
Affiliations
Nancy Watfa
Institut Lavoisier de Versailles, UMR 8180, University of Versailles, 45 avenue des Etats-Unis, Versailles 78035, France
Sébastien Floquet
Institut Lavoisier de Versailles, UMR 8180, University of Versailles, 45 avenue des Etats-Unis, Versailles 78035, France
Emmanuel Terazzi
Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, University of Geneva, 30 quai E. Ansermet, Geneva CH-1211, Switzerland
William Salomon
Institut Lavoisier de Versailles, UMR 8180, University of Versailles, 45 avenue des Etats-Unis, Versailles 78035, France
Laure Guénée
Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, University of Geneva, 30 quai E. Ansermet, Geneva CH-1211, Switzerland
Kerry Lee Buchwalder
Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, University of Geneva, 30 quai E. Ansermet, Geneva CH-1211, Switzerland
Akram Hijazi
Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination Inorganique et Organométallique LCIO, Université Libanaise, Faculté des Sciences I, Hadath, Lebanon
Daoud Naoufal
Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination Inorganique et Organométallique LCIO, Université Libanaise, Faculté des Sciences I, Hadath, Lebanon
Claude Piguet
Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, University of Geneva, 30 quai E. Ansermet, Geneva CH-1211, Switzerland
Emmanuel Cadot
Institut Lavoisier de Versailles, UMR 8180, University of Versailles, 45 avenue des Etats-Unis, Versailles 78035, France
A series of eight new materials based on the ionic association between 1-methyl-3-alkylimidazolium cations and the nanometric anionic Keplerate [Mo132O372(CH3COO)30(H2O)72]42− has been prepared and characterized in the solid state. The liquid crystal properties of these materials were investigated by the combination of Polarized Optical Microscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Small-angle X-Ray Diffraction showing a self-organization in lamellar (L) mesophases for the major part of them. From the interlamellar spacing h and the intercluster distance ahex, we demonstrated that the cations are not randomly organized around the anionic cluster and that the alkyl chains of the cations are certainly folded, which limits the van der Waals interactions between the cations within the liquid crystal phase and therefore harms the quality of the mesophases.
