Production of liquid crystals could be done in a highly efficiently eco-friendly manner any sooner. A new process has been created by scientists at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) in Germany, Bangalore University in India, and Cairo University in Egypt.
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The new approach seems to be rapid and highly energy-efficient when compared with conventional techniques and hence it promises a high yield as the team reports in the Journal of Molecular Liquids. Liquid crystals find their application in tablets, computer displays and smartphones.
The production of liquid crystals seems to be a complicated process with several intermediate steps.
Often it requires various solvents and expensive catalysts.
Dr. Mohamed Alaasar, Chemist, Martin Luther Universitat Halle Wittenberg
The research group from Germany, India, and Egypt was looking for a method to streamline the process and make it more eco-friendly. The idea was to combine a few steps with a so-called multicomponent reaction, in which numerous substances react directly with one another, rather than the chemical reactions taking place one after the other.
The team came up with a method for generating liquid crystals which do not need environmentally harmful solvents and depend on inexpensive catalysts.
We were able to achieve a yield of about 90%. This means that most of the chemicals are used in the process and relatively few residues are produced.
Dr. Mohamed Alaasar, Chemist, Martin Luther Universitat Halle Wittenberg
This helps save energy and eventually money. At room temperature the newly developed liquid crystals are in a nematic phase — a unique arrangement of molecules utilized in the majority of the liquid crystal displays or LCDs.
To date, the scientists have only tested their new process in the laboratory. But Alaasar is confident enough that it could also be implemented on an industrial scale.
However, manufacturers would have to rebuild parts of their manufacturing. This has not happened in the past with other promising materials.
Dr. Mohamed Alaasar, Chemist, Martin Luther Universitat Halle Wittenberg
But consumers began valuing sustainability and more eco-friendly products over the last few years. That could be an extra argument in favor of the new method.
Journal Reference:
Shanker, G., et al. (2022) Novel green synthetic approach for liquid crystalline materials using multi-component reactions. Journal of Molecular Liquids. doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2021.118244.