Liquid crystal of cobalt complex from 1-dodecyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazole

A new cobalt complex of [Co(C12H25-bim)2]Cl2 (bim=benzimidaze) was synthesised using a non-mesomorphic ligand and the structure was characterised by X-ray crystallography, infrared spectrum and elemental analysis. Single-crystal X-ray analysis revealed that the title complex adopted a U-shaped conformation with bilayer packing. The coordination environment of the Co atom was almost tetrahedral, comprising two nitrogen atoms of benzimidazole and two chlorine atoms. Differential scanning calorimetry and polarised optical microscopy results demonstrated that the title complex exhibited liquid crystalline property upon complexation. The cyclic voltammetry study showed that the title complex had a pair of redox peaks and one reduction peak.