Metallomesogens

The wide subject of metallomesogens – metal-containing liquid crystals – is discussed in this chapter from different points of view. Following an introduction to the liquid crystal state and mesophases, an overview of the major structural types of metallomesogens is given, covering carboxylates, macrocycles, complexes of mono- and bi-dentate ligands, ferrocene-containing materials, and metallodendrimers. Then, to show what is possible with imaginative metal–ligand combinations, a section is included on the design and mesomorphism of ortho -metallated mesogens with palladium(II) and platinum(II) and, to an extent, with manganese(I), rhenium(I), mercury(II), and iridium(III). In the last section, the emphasis moves to consider the magnetism of liquid-crystalline materials with d- and f-block elements, where properties such as magnetic alignment, single-molecule magnetism, spin-crossover behavior, and magnetic susceptibility are covered.