On the thermal behaviour and thermo-oxidative stability of liquid crystalline triphenylene compounds

Columnar discotic materials are considered for applications in the area of photoconductivity and light-emitting diodes. A major requirement is their stability at elevated temperatures and in the presence of oxygen. The thermal and thermo-oxidative behaviour of discotic triphenylene derivatives was investigated by us using various methods, in particular by chemiluminescence (CL), UV-vis absorption spectroscopy and in situ thermogravimetry–mass spectroscopy (TG–MS). Various degradation processes are described for increasing temperature, and their influences on functional properties are discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.