Semiconducting 2,3,6,7,10,11-Hexakis{[4-(5-dodecylthiophen-2-yl)phenyl] ethynyl}triphenylene and its discotic liquid crystalline properties

We report on the design and synthesis of a new discotic liquid crystalline (LC) semiconducting material based on a triphenylene core. The molecule is readily soluble in common organic solvents to exhibit self-organizing long fiber structures with supramolecularly ordered columnar stacks that lie parallel to the substrate. Compared to all the previously reported triphenylene derivatives, this molecule has a relatively lower band gap energy (E_g = 2.53 eV), which makes it suitable for electronic and optoelectronic applications.