A new class of liquid crystals for use as transport layers and/or emission layers in organic light-emitting diodes has been prepared. Depending on the nature and number of the terminal substituents enatiotropic nematic, smectic and columnar phases are observed. Chain branching gives rise to materials with a low melting point. Several of these liquid crystals electroluminesce in the visible region. The charge transport properties of some of these materials have been evaluated.