Development of new materials for applications in liquid crystal technologies and biofuel production

This work encompasses three distinct materials chemistries: solid support catalysts for biodiesel production, synthesis of molecular based liquid crystals for improved applications in liquid crystal display technologies, and mesoscopic behavior of high aspect ratio nanoscale metal-organic framework particles.;The production of biodiesel from waste biomass by the traditional two-step acid/base sequence is a costly and inefficient process. Solid supported acid catalysts were fabricated to reduce the free fatty acid content in waste greases in a process not requiring intensive and costly neutralization and aqueous workups. A high free fatty acid to methyl ester conversion was obtained for a variety of diarylammonium salts that served as homogeneous acid catalysts. The diarylamine was functionalized with appropriate moieties to enable incorporation into mesoporous silicas MCM-48 and SBA-15 as well as a more hydrophobic porous organic polymer. The efficacy of these heterogeneous acid catalysts was tested with greases containing up to 40 wt% free fatty acid and found to have greater than 98% conversions. When combined with solid base catalysts, we were able to produce biodiesel in 99% yield from a high free fatty-acid containing feedstock.;Several 2,5-disubstituted oxadiazole based bent-core molecules were synthesized to explore new potential structures for biaxial nematic liquid crystals at room temperature. Structure-function behaviors dictated the thermal behaviors of these molecules measured using heat-stage facilitated optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. Lower melting mesogens were judiciously chosen for exploration by sophisticated variable temperature 2H-NMR experiments.;Lastly, Onsager predicted that anisotropic shapes could stabilize liquid crystalline behaviors. High aspect ratio metal-organic framework nanorods were synthesized and subsequently surface functionalized to minimize electrostatic and steric interparticle interactions. These particles were shown to self-assemble into nematic-like textures when subjected certain physical restraints on the macroscopic level. The ordered behavior was revealed through polarized luminescence studies dependent on the particles non-cubic crystalline space group.