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4′-Octyloxy-4-biphenylcarbonitrile (8OCB), liquid crystal
Nematic/smectic A liquid crystal for the application of optical electronics i.e. in liquid-crystal display (LCD).
4′-Octyloxy-4-biphenylcarbonitrile (8OCB) is consisted of a biphenyl structure with octyloxy and cyano groups at 4,4'-postions. 8OCB belongs to the well known family of liquid crystal 4-oxy-4'-cyanobiphenyls (OCBs). In its solid form, 8OCB packs in lamellar-type bilayers structure, through hydrogen bonding induced by the CN group.
Three different metastable crystal polymorphs of 8OCB are observed from grown from its solution, square-plate, needle phase and long parallelepiped (PP) phase. Two different crystalline states of 8OCB are observed on cooling from its melt, a metastable long parallelepiped (PP) crystal phase and a stable crystal phase known as the commercial powder (CP) phase. Three transition temperatures temperature are measured for 8OCB from its crystal from to isotropic solution, crystalline–smectic A transition temperature, TCrA = 52.86 °C, smectic A–nematic transition temperature, TAN = 66.65 °C, and nematic–isotropic transition temperature, TNI = 79.10 °C.
Binary system of 4-octyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) and 4-octyloxy-4′-cyanobiphenyl (8OCB) mixture also shows the existence of three phase transitions, crystalline-smectic A, smectic A-nematic, and nematic-isotropic transitions. The maximum absorption wavelength of the 8CB/8OCB mixtures decreases with increasing percent weight of 8CB in 8OCB.
When presented in P3HT:PC60BM mixture, 4′-octyloxy-4-biphenylcarbonitrile molecules in the liquid crystalline state offer good template for the crystallization of P3HT, as well as the phase separation between P3HT and PCBM. A maximum PCE value of 3.5% was achieved by incorporating of 6 wt% nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) of 8OCB in P3HT:PC60BM active layer mixture, after annealing at the temperature of 70 °C in liquid crystalline transitions.
Liquid crystal
With biphenylcarbonitrile core
Three phase transition
Crystalline - smectic A - nematic - isotropic
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High purity
>98% High purity
Chemical Structure

General Information
CAS Number | 52364-73-5 |
Chemical Formula | C21H25NO |
Molecular Weight | 307.43 |
Full Name | 4′-Octyloxy-4-biphenylcarbonitrile |
Synonyms | 8OCB, 4′-(Octyloxy)-4-cyanobiphenyl, 4′-(Octyloxy)[1,1′-biphenyl]-4-carbonitrile, 4'-Octyloxybiphenyl-4-carbonitrile, 4-Cyano-4′-(octyloxy)biphenyl, 4-n-octyloxy-4′-cyanobiphenyl, 4-Cyano-4'-n-octyloxybiphenyl |
Classification / Family | Biphenylcarbonitrile, Liquid Crystals |
Product Details
Purity | >98% (1HNMR) |
Form | White powder/crystals |
Mesomorphic Range | N/A |
Melting Point | Tm = 54 °C |
MSDS Documentation

Pricing
Batch | Quantity | Price |
M2360A1 | 5 g | £170 |
M2360A1 | 10 g | £250 |
M2360A1 | 25 g | £500 |
Literature and Reviews
- 4'-Octyloxybiphenyl-4-carbonitrile polymorph III, R. Davey et al., Acta Cryst., C61, o143-o144 (2005); DOI: 10.1107/S0108270105000326.
- Polymorphic crystalline forms of 8OCB, A. Jakli et al., Liq. Cryst., 27 (8), 1035-1038 (2000); DOI: 10.1080/02678290050080779.
- DSC studies on p-(n-alkyl)-p′-cyanobiphenyl (RCB’s) and p-(n-alkoxy)-p′-cyanobiphenyl (ROCB’s) liquid crystals, G. Oweimreen et al., Thermochimica Acta, 346, 37 (2000); DOI: 10.1016/S0040-6031(99)00411-6.
- Crystal polymorphism of 8OCB liquid crystal consisting of strongly polar rod-like molecules, S. Ghosh et al., RSC Adv., 11, 4958 (2021); DOI: 10.1039/d0ra08543j.
- Thermal and Spectrophotometric Analysis of Liquid Crystal 8CB/8OCB Mixtures, Ş. Özgan et al., Braz. J. Phys., 41, 118–122 (2011); DOI: 10.1007/s13538-011-0034-1.
- Improvement of the photovoltaic properties for P3HT:PCBM system annealed at the temperature in liquid crystalline regions induced by liquid crystal molecules, J. Shi et al., Polym. Bull. 71, 2963–2979 (2014); DOI: 10.1007/s00289-014-1233-z.
To the best of our knowledge the information provided here is accurate. The values provided are typical at the time of manufacture and may vary over time and from batch to batch. Products may have minor cosmetic differences (e.g. to the branding) compared to the photos on our website. All products are for laboratory and research and development use only.