甲基纤维素/二氯乙酸液晶溶液的相转变

本文研究了甲基纤维素/二氯乙酸液晶溶液液晶相与各向同性相之间相互转变的过程。在连续升温过程中,由于液晶相内部有序度的非均一性,升温速率对液晶相织构随温度的变化有较大的影响。在等温相转变过程中,无论是从各向同性态转变为液晶态,还是其逆过程,从液晶态转变为各向同性态,相转变曲线均具有指数方程特征。利用与 Avrami 方程相似的指数方程进行处理,在从各向同性态转变为液晶态时,指数 n 大部分约为1。但液晶相向各向同性相在低于 Tc 时的相转变中,n 均小于1。相转变速率受溶液浓度和温度的影响。在质量分数为0.259的浓度时,液晶相向各向同性相的转变在低于 Tc 时39.5℃进行得最快。     

TEXTURES OF ETHYL-ACETYL CELLULOSE MESOPHASE

There was phase separation between the anisotropic and isotropic phases in the ethyl-acetyl cellulose/dichloroacetic acid cholesteric liquid crystalline solutions .The textures of mesophase varied with the concentration. The mesophases could form the disc-like texture, oily streaks texture and texture of domains gathered randomly. In the first two textures the layers of the ordered molecular chain were perpendicular to the slide surface and the axes of the helical structure were parallel to the slide surface.     

KINETICS OF MESOPHASE FORMATION OF A LYOTROPIC AROMATIC POLYAMIDE

The kinetics of mesophase formation of a lyotropic aromatic polyamide from isotropic state has been studied by means of depolarized light intensity. Avrami type analysis of the data gives an exponent close to 1, which suggests the nucleation followed by one-dimensional growth. No influence of blending flexible chain from nylon 6 to the aromatic polyamide on the kinetics of mesophase formation was observed.     

聚对苯撑对苯二甲酰胺液晶的相态转变

本工作以H(?)ppler流变粘度计、退偏振光法及小角激光光散射法研究了聚对苯撑对苯二甲酰胺的浓硫酸溶液在不同浓度和温度下的粘性行为、光学性质和区域结构的变化,发现聚对苯撑对苯二甲酰胺的各向异性溶液在不同温度下呈现向列型液晶和胆甾型液晶特征,说明芳香聚酰胺的液晶体系与小分子液晶相类似,也具有多种中介相的转变现象。这里的中介相转变是由向列型转变为胆甾型,但不是直接的同时是一个单变性的相转变过程。     

The influence of charge-transfer interactions on solid and cholesteric liquid crystalline mixtures of cholesteryl anthraquinone-2-carboxylate and cholesteryl 9,10-dimethoxyanthracene-2-carboxylate

The phase behaviour of 3beta-cholesteryl 9,10-anthraquinone-2-carboxylate (CAQ, an excellent electron acceptor) and 3beta-cholesteryl 9,10-dimethoxyanthracene-2-carboxylate (CMAQ, an excellent electron donor) have been investigated neat and as mixtures by a variety of techniques. Both molecules form thermotropic cholesteric phases. UV-Vis absorption spectra of CAQ:CMAQ mixtures provide strong evidence for the formation of charge-transfer (CT) complexes in the solid state. DSC thermograms of the mixtures reveal several transitions, only some of which are observable by optical microscopy. The mesophase range of CAQ is increased by c. 40 upon addition of as little as 10 wt% of CMAQ as a consequence of increased attractive forces in the CT complexes. X-ray powder diffraction patterns confirm that CAQ forms different crystalline phases upon being cooled from the mesophase and by recrystallization from solvents. The 5:5 mixture can be supercooled to a glass from its cholesteric phase. Some of the phase behaviour of the CAQ:CMAQ mixtures is explained with a model that includes selective crystallization of the two components into eutectics from supercooled liquid crystalline matrices.     

DNA liquid crystalline blue phases. Electron microscopy evidence and biological implications

The isotropic-liquid crystalline transition of concentrated DNA solutions is investigated using freeze-fracture electron microscopy in order to understand the first steps of the DNA condensation process. Between the isotropic liquid and the cholesteric mesophase, we report the existence of double twist DNA bundles and describe their long range ordering into 3D networks. This organization corresponds to the formation of 'blue phases' already observed in thermotropic liquid crystals, but never reported in lyotropic systems. In addition, the size of the DNA molecule, about ten times that of most thermotropic materials, allows here the molecular resolution imaging of blue phase structures. Since such structures recall chromatin organization of some Procaryotes and lower Eucaryotes, we suspect that they may be widespread and of potential interest in the regulation of chromatin functions.     

Optical and mesomorphic properties characterisation of chiral liquid crystalline copolysiloxane exhibiting cholesteric and blue phases

A series of liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs) have been synthesised by two cholesteric monomers M₁, M₂ and a nematic monomer M₃. The chemical structures and liquid crystalline properties of the monomers and polymers have been characterised by FTIR, ¹H-NMR, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analyses, X-ray diffraction measurements and polarising optical microscopy. All LCPs show a high thermal stability with wide mesophase temperature ranges. For polymer P₁ bearing only cholesteric LC monomers component, it shows a cholesteric phase, whereas others display a blue phase besides a cholesteric phase. The formation of the blue phase is based on the structures of the polymers and the produced biaxial helix. The glass transition temperature and isotropic temperature of the polymers decrease on heating cycle with increasing the content of M₃ in the polymers. The specific rotation values of the polymers are temperature-sensitive. The reflection spectra of polymers P₁–P₆ show that the maximum reflected wavelengths shift to long wavelength with increasing the content of M₃ in the polymer systems. The frequency and intensity of the bands change sharply at the temperature where cholesteric phase changes to blue phase, but they show a weak dependence on temperature in the blue phase.     

Nanosized silver/thiocholesterol aggregates

Linear aggregates including nanosized silver particles (d = 2.5 ± 0.5 nm) stabilized in a cholesteric mesophase of thiocholesterol forming by cooling from the isotropic state are obtained. The composition and the structure of the aggregates are determined by FTIR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and electronic diffraction. The optical properties of the silver-thiocholesterol and silver-thiocholesterol-toluene systems are studied.     

Chirality Synchronization of Hydrogen‐Bonded Complexes of Achiral N‐Heterocycles

2,4‐Diamino‐6‐phenyl‐1,3,5‐triazines carrying a single oligo(ethylene oxide) (EO) chain form an optically isotropic mesophase composed of a conglomerate of macroscopic chiral domains with opposite sense of chirality even though the constituent molecules are achiral. This mesophase was proposed to result from the helical packing of hydrogen‐bonded triazine aggregates, providing long‐range chirality synchronization. The results provide first evidence for macroscopic achiral symmetry breaking upon conglomerate formation in an amorphous isotropic phase formed by hydrogen‐bonded associates of simple N‐heterocycles that are related to prebiotic molecules.     

Synthesis and characterization of a trefoil-shaped liquid crystal based on 1,3,5-triazine with carbazole groups

A trefoil-shaped liquid crystal containing an aromatic hetero-nucleus has been synthesized by the reaction of cyanuric chloride with 3,6-didecanoyl carbazole (DDC). The molecular structure was characterized by ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The core consists of 1,3,5-triazine directly linked to three carbazole groups. The trefoil-shaped conformation is suggested by molecular modelling. The mesophase was investigated using DSC, X-ray diffraction and polarizing optical microscopy. The X-ray diffraction pattern of a sample cooled slowly from the isotropic state showed sharp peaks in the small angle and wide angle regions implying the existence of a columnar phase with interand intra-columnar ordering. An unusual reticular texture similar to a cholesteric texture was observed.     

New side chain ferroelectric liquid crystalline polymers based on (2S, 3S)-2-chloro-3-methylpentanoic acid: synthesis and phase behaviour

The synthesis of four new chiral mesogenic monomers (M₁–M₄) and side chain ferroelectric liquid crystalline polymers containing (2S, 3S)-2-chloro-3-methylpentanoate is described. The chemical structures and phase behaviour of the monomers and polymers obtained in this study were characterised by Fourier transform infrared, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, polarising optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray diffraction. The selective reflection of light was investigated with ultraviolet/visible (UV/Vis). Their structure–mesomorphism relationships were discussed. M₁ and P₁ all showed a chiral smectic C (SmC*) phase. M₂ and M₃ revealed a SmC* phase and cholesteric phase, while their corresponding polymers P₂ and P₃ revealed a SmC* phase and smectic A (SmA) phase. M₄ only exhibited a cholesteric phase, whereas the corresponding polymers P₄ showed a SmA phase. Moreover, the selective reflection of light shifted to the long-wavelength region at the SmC* phase range and to the short-wavelength region at the cholesteric range with increasing temperature, respectively. The results seemed to demonstrate that the tendency towards melting temperature (T_m), glass transition temperature (T_g), isotropic temperature (T_i) and mesophase range for the monomers and polymers increased by increasing the mesogenic core rigidity or the number of phenyl ring. The polymerisation effect could lead to higher liquid crystalline to isotropic phase transition temperature, wider mesophase range and more ordered smectic phase formed. In addition, all the obtained polymers had a very good thermal stability and the corresponding T_d increased by increasing the number of phenyl ring.     

Copolyesters exhibiting a thermotropic cholesteric phase

Mesomorphic copolymers were synthesized by incorporating varying ratios of azelaic acid and (+)-3-methyl adipic acid into copolyesters based upon 4,4′-dihydroxybiphenyl. Introduction of the phenylene (+)-3-methyl adipate unit broadens the temperature range of the nematic phase of the azelate homopolymer and, at the same time, produces a chiral nematic (cholesteric) mesophase which exhibits various iridescent colors. Circular dichroism measurements were used to determine the pitch of the cholesteric liquid crystals. The pitch decreased gradually with increasing temperature, and the inverse pitch increased in direct proportion to the molar content of the units containing (+)-3-methyl adipate. The twisted cholesteric structure could be conserved by quenching to produce films with various colors at room temperature. Annealing these films at a temperature immediately below that of the crystal–mesophase transition improved the regularity of the cholesteric structure.     

Aqueous cholesteric liquid crystals using uncharged rodlike polypeptides

The aqueous, lyotropic liquid-crystalline phase behavior of the alpha-helical polypeptide, poly(N(epsilon)-2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetyl-lysine) (1), has been studied using optical microscopy and X-ray scattering. Solutions of optically pure 1 were found to form cholesteric liquid crystals at volume fractions that decreased with increasing average chain length. At very high volume fractions, the formation of a hexagonal mesophase was observed. The pitch of the cholesteric phase could be varied by a mixture of enantiomeric samples L-1 and D-1, where the pitch increased as the mixture approached equimolar. The cholesteric phases could be untwisted, using either magnetic field or shear flow, into nematic phases, which relaxed into cholesterics upon removal of field or shear. We have found that the phase diagram of 1 in aqueous solution parallels that of poly(gamma-benzyl glutamate) in organic solvents, thus providing a useful system for liquid-crystal applications requiring water as solvent.     

Thermal tuning band gap in cholesteric liquid crystals

The phase of a liquid crystal (LC) changing from a nematic phase to a cholesteric (Ch) mesophase is achieved by adding different ratios of chiral dopants S811. By studying the transmission spectrum, we are able to measure the helical pitch in cholesteric phase. The pitch in the mixtures of nematic E7 and chiral dopants S811 as a function of the concentration of the dopant and temperature is investigated. The sensitivity of the selective reflection notch of the cholesteric phase to the thermal tuning depends strongly on the ratios of the chiral dopants. It reveals that the influence of temperature is more profound for those cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) which exhibit smectic A (SmA) at lower temperatures. When fitted using Keating's formula, the helical pitch calculated from our experimental results lies on the predicted curve. Optimised ratios of the mixture CLCs for the optimised reflection band with the specified wavelength ranging from 467 nm to 2123 nm are suggested.     

Synthesis and characterization of a trefoil-shaped liquid crystal based on 1,3,5-triazine with carbazole groups

A trefoil-shaped liquid crystal containing an aromatic hetero-nucleus has been synthesized by the reaction of cyanuric chloride with 3,6-didecanoyl carbazole (DDC). The molecular structure was characterized by ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The core consists of 1,3,5-triazine directly linked to three carbazole groups. The trefoil-shaped conformation is suggested by molecular modelling. The mesophase was investigated using DSC, X-ray diffraction and polarizing optical microscopy. The X-ray diffraction pattern of a sample cooled slowly from the isotropic state showed sharp peaks in the small angle and wide angle regions implying the existence of a columnar phase with interand intra-columnar ordering. An unusual reticular texture similar to a cholesteric texture was observed.     

The phase diagram of the lyotropic nematic mesophase in the TTAB/NaBr/water system

The phase diagram of the nematic mesophase present in the tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide/sodium bromide/water ternary system was determined. A calamitic nematic mesophase (N_C) was observed which extends to very high concentrations of electrolyte. The order parameters of the surfactant head group in the mesophases were studied by the NMR quadrupolar splitting of the deuterated surfactant. On increasing the temperature of nematic mesophases with low electrolyte concentrations, a phase separation occurs with the formation of a more highly ordered hexagonal phase and an isotropic phase. Diffusion measurements of the isotropic micellar solution by the NMR PFG method were used to estimate hydrodynamic radii at low surfactant concentrations and to study micelle diffusion as the concentration of the surfactant was increased to the liquid crystalline region. At higher surfactant concentrations, the diffusion coefficient reached a limiting value. The calamitic nematic mesophase in this surfactant/electrolyte/water system appears to be formed by long wormlike micelles.     

乙基醋酸纤维素液晶态条带织构的形成机理

本文应用平行板移动式和转动式二种剪切装置研究了乙基醋酸纤维素的二氯乙酸体系液晶态受剪过程形成条带织构的临界剪切速率,条带织构的形成机理以及所形成的条带织构在升降温过程中的变化。结果表明,高分子液晶态受剪过程条带织构不是在受剪时产生,而是在受剪停止后的弛豫过程中形成的。可以观察到条带织构出现的诱导时间(t_b),其值的大小与溶液的浓度、剪切速率等因素有关。最后提出一模型来解释高分子液晶态受剪切过程条带织构的形成机理。     

Chromonic lyomesophases formed by the self-assembly of the cyclic dinucleotide d(cGpGp)

The cyclic dinucleotide d(cGpGp) undergoes a self-association process in water to give, first, columnar aggregates similar to the four-stranded helix of poly(G). Successively, at higher concentration, these aggregates self-organize to give a cholesteric and a hexagonal mesophase, the former of which appears only in biphasic systems. The self-assembly process in isotropic solution has been studied by CD spectroscopy and the structure of the mesophases was investigated by optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction.     

STUDIES ON THE MORPHOLOGY OF THERMOTROPIC POLYESTER DURING TRANSITIONS BETWEEN ISOTROPIC AND ANISOTROPIC MELTS

The morphology of a thermotropic aromatic polyester during the transitions between isotropic and anisotropic melts was studied by means of polarizing microscopy and small angle light scattering techniques. Both transition processes were found to be composed of the initiation of a new phase at local places of the old phase matrix and the growth of the new phase domains. A change of Hv scattering patterns was observed in the transition temperature ranges and was explained as the result of heterogeneity of the mesophase system, but not the change in ordering of a homogeneous mesophase.     

Synthesis and properties of new non-symmetric liquid crystal dimers containing mandelic acid and cyano group

Four non-symmetric dimers containing mandelic acid as the chiral core have been synthesised, termed as QBMA-B, QBMA-BCN, QBMA-BBCN and QBBMA-BBCN, respectively. Chemical structures and liquid crystal (LC) properties of the dimers were characterised by FTIR, ¹H-NMR, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and polarised optical microscopy (POM). The results indicated that the rigidity and conformation of the molecules of the dimers played important effects on their mesophase properties. QBMA-B did not display any mesophase, QBMA-BCN and QBMA-BBCN exhibited nematic (N) phases, while QBBMA-BBCN displayed cholesteric (ch) phase, which indicated that chiral mandelic acid could induce cholesteric phase, but some attention should be paid to the molecular conformation to obtain cholesteric phase. For the four dimers, melting temperature (T_m) increased first and then decreased, inferring that molecular conformation played a more important effect besides molecular weight and rigidity.