The driving force for homeotropic alignment of a triphenylene derivative in a hexagonal columnar mesophase on single substrates

An interesting discotic triphenylene derivative, 2,7-biscarbethoxy-3,6,10,11-tetrapentyloxytriphenylene, can be homeotropically aligned on a large scale as a film on single substrates, i.e. the film with one side on the substrate and the other side freestanding. The alignment is achieved in a controlled condition close to a thermodynamic equilibrium state in a liquid crystal phase when interactions at the substrate surface are limited. Phase changing properties of this material are also a key factor in the alignment processes. The aligned structures are observed with an optical microscope. Within a single domain a hexagonal lattice of a d-spacing 16.3 Å is confirmed by X-ray diffraction measurement.