Liquid-crystalline fullerodendrimers

Addition of liquid-crystalline dendrimers onto [60]fullerene led to thermotropic liquid crystals which displayed various types of mesophases, including chiral nematic, smectic B, smectic A and columnar phases. This approach represents an interesting way for the design of self-organized structures based on [60]fullerene, and opens the way to optoelectronic applications for this carbon allotrope, such as for the development of photovoltaic devices and molecular switches.