One-Dimensional to Three-Dimensional Electronic Conduction in Liquid Crystalline Mesophases

We have established the electronic conduction in the nematic phase of a small molecule of a 2-phenylbenzothiazole derivative, i.e., 2-(4'-octyloxyphenyl)-6-butoxybenzothiazole (8O-PBT-O4). This gives a new insight into the quest for the electronic conduction in liquid crystals, which was initiated by Kusabayashi and Labes in late 1960s and had succeeded over several decades, leading it to the end. In addition, it is clarified that the ionic conduction often observed in less ordered mesophases is induced with trace amounts of chemical impurities due to its low viscosity. The present result indicates that the charge carrier transport in the mesophase is electronic in its intrinsic nature irrespective of mesophases and molecular sizes, i.e., 1D-electronic conduction in columnar phase, 2D-electronic conduction in smectic mesophases, and 3D-electronic conduction in the nematic phase.