Synthesis of cholesteryl ester and study on the induced chirality in its formulation with a nematic liquid crystal

Abstract

The fact that commercially available liquid crystals are very expensive makes studies in this field controlled and limited. For this very reason, there is a need to look for sources of liquid crystals that are cheap and readily available.
Compounds that form liquid crystals are generally organic in nature and composed of molecules that are elongated and fairly rigid. Rod-like molecules constitute what are known as calamitic liquid crystals and may be considered as "classical" liquid crystals. Fatty acid esters of cholesterol are of exceptional interest because of their ability to assume a mesomorphic state due to the near ideal liquid crystal structure of cholesterol. Nematic phases are known to predominate in short substituent chain lengths of fatty acid esters, while smectic phases become increasingly prominent as the chain lengthens.
The primary aim of this research is to be able to come up with a liquid crystal from the synthesis of fatty acid, to help in minimizing the costs of liquid crystal research. The potential of the product to change its color with varying temperature when mixed with a nematic liquid crystal will also be investigated.