100 Years Liquid Crystal Chemistry

Abstract

This review article presents a short description of the historical development of the chemistry of thermotropic liquid crystals and the modern molecular-statistical interpretation of the liquid crystalline state. A short survey on the present state of the liquid crystal chemistry, divided in conventional (rod-like) and non-conventional (deviating more or less from the rod-like shape) molecular species is given. Liquid crystalline compounds for applications and their mixtures are treated from the chemical standpoint emphasizing the connections between molecular structure and properties.