ABSTRACT A series of 4ʹ-(4-alkyl-phenyl)-2ʹ,6ʹ-difluorotolane isothiocyanate liquid crystal (LC) compounds were synthesised, and their phase transitions and electrooptical properties were investigated. These compounds exhibit high birefringence, about 0.47–0.52. As the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl chains increases, these LC compounds can exhibit smectic phases. When these LCs were mixed into the commercial LCs, the birefringence values of LC mixtures become higher than pure commercial LCs, and the visco-elastic coefficients of five L...
