Structural characterization, thermal investigation, and liquid crystalline behavior of 4-[(4-chlorobenzyl)oxy]-3,4′-dichloroazobenzene

Using the Williamson method, a new dye 4-[(4-chlorobenzyl)oxy]-3,4'-dichloroazobenzene (CODA) with liquid crystalline properties was synthesized. The structure and the thermal behavior of CODA were investigated by means of nuclear magnetic resonance, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and light polarized optical microscopy techniques. The thermophysical processes were monitored by heating-cooling cycles, but the formation of liquid crystal phases were exhibited only for small values of the cooling rates. For the first heating-cooling cycle, the melting and the solidification processes, thus the characteristic temperatures, are shifted to higher values when compared to the following cycles.