Amphiphilic carbohydrate-based mesogens incorporating structural features of calamitic liquid crystals

Abstract
Several examples of liquid-crystalline carbohydrate derivatives incorporating a carbocyclic ring in the side chain are reported and the influence of structural variations discussed. The mesophase observed for all compounds described is smectic A and the mesophase stability is strongly affected by the linking unit between the carbocyclic and carbohydrate moieties.