Synthesis of Liquid Crystal Molecules for Photovoltaic Cell Applications

The purpose of our research with Southwestern Oregon Community College’s PRISMS project was to create two organic liquid crystal molecules called 2,8-OBC and 2,12-OBC. These organic molecules would theoretically possess photovoltaic properties allowing for solar energy storage while being painted onto any surface to create a lighter weight, more flexible solar cells. We first started by creating 4-(Dodecyloxy)biphenyl. We then went through over ten steps to try and reach our goal of creating 2,8-OBC and 2,12-OBC. While there were some challenges encountered with our initial reaction scheme, our use of a modified reaction scheme including a cyanide reaction yielded promising results.