Résumé : Hexaazatriisothianaphthenes substituted with six alkylsulfanyl chains (propyl and dodecylsulfanyl) have been synthesised and their thermotropic, photophysical and oxidation-reduction properties characterised. Their synthesis has been motivated by the results of quantum-chemical calculations that point to efficient transport properties for these new electron-deficient mesogens since electron transport is predicted to be only slightly affected by rotational degrees of freedom in the discotic mesophase. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.