Chiral discotics; expression and amplification of chirality

Abstract

In this contribution, chirality and discotic liquid crystals are discussed as a tool for studying the self-assembly of these molecules, both in solution and in the solid state. Therefore, the objective of this chapter is to summarize and elucidate how molecular chirality can be expressed in discotic supramolecular architectures both in the liquid crystalline state and in solution. Closely related to this issue is the question how chirality can be amplified from one discotic molecule to another, a phenomenon that has mainly been studied in solution, but can have significant impact on the issue of the origin of chirality. The different mesophase assemblies of chiral discotics are presented. Supramolecular assemblies of discotic molecules in solution, although they have not yet found application, allow for a detailed and specific investigation of the interactions that are required to express chirality at higher levels of organization. As such, the fundamental knowledge acquired from supramolecular assemblies in solution might formulate the design criteria for chiral discotic mesophases and provide the necessary tools for the creation of functional systems.