锥光干涉法表征偶氮苯侧链液晶聚合物的光致取向

采用偏光显微镜在平行光和锥光条件下对液晶聚合物膜内分子的取向排列状态进行了研究,不同取向状态的膜由线偏振光或圆偏振光照射偶氮苯侧链液晶聚合物得到。结果表明,液晶聚合物膜采用线偏振光照射时,偶氮苯介晶基元沿面排列,形成单相畴面内取向态。该取向态的锥光干涉图为位于视场中心的粗黑十字,旋转载物台小于10°,该干涉图即完全退出...     

光致变色液晶聚合物的光致再取向性能研究进展

光致变色分子经掺杂或键合作用嵌在液晶聚合物中可形成光致变色液晶聚合物,在线性偏振光或非偏振光的照射下,此物质中光致变色分子的构型变化会引起整个液晶分子的二维或三维光致再取向的形成,本文综述了光致变色液晶聚合物的光致再取向的近期研究进展.     

氰乙基纤维素/二甲基乙酰胺液晶溶液的取向态织构

本文用偏光显微镜、小角光散射和消偏振光法对受切应力后取向的氰乙基纤维素/二甲基乙酰胺液晶溶液的织态结构进行了研究。证明在取向的液晶溶液中,分子链沿切应力方向高度取向。相邻条纹间的分子链取向稍有不同。     

聚对氧化偶氮苯酚酯系列热致性液晶高分子的合成及液晶态研究

本文用界面缩聚法合成聚对氧化偶氧苯酚酯系列热致性液晶高分子。并用DSC,X-光衍射和偏光显微镜对其结构和液晶相进行了表征与研究。观察液晶态织态结构,计算液晶态时分子链间距,并观察聚合物取向液晶态的结晶结构。     

含氟光敏单体的液晶光控取向研究

制备了系列含氟光敏单体材料, 六氟双酚A双肉桂酸酯(6F-BADE)与含二氟亚甲基结构的肉桂酸酯(FDE-n, n=2, 3, 4). 材料在线性偏振紫外光辐照下均可发生定向光交联反应, 通过红外光谱和凝胶渗透色谱跟踪检测, 表明光交联类型为[2+2]环加成. 单体光聚后形成的取向膜对液晶分子排列效果不同, 6F-BADE取向膜诱导液晶分子垂直排列, FDE-n取向膜诱导液晶分子平行排列. 用原子力显微镜对取向膜表面进行表征, 均未观察到明显的各向异性分布现象. 应用量子力学半经验方法AM1分析发现单体分子极性有较大差异, 认为分子极性的差异是诱导液晶取向不同的主要原因.     

聚亚苯基苯并二噻唑的X射线衍射研究

本文用X射线衍射研究了聚亚苯基苯并二噻唑(PBT)薄膜的结构特征。衍射结果表明PBT在液晶态成膜具有高的取向度,分子链在垂直于取向方向呈有序的二维周期排列,沿取向方向分子链相互间无序平行排列。热处理可明显提高PBT的有序度,即在垂直于取向方向分子链的二维排列更规整,晶格畸变减小,而取向方向分子链中苯杂环呈群集排列,出现三维有序的衍射斑点,测其群集结构平面的法线与取向方向夹角为29°。     

偶氮苯为探针的液晶聚合物聚集形态研究

利用紫外-可见光谱,对比研究了尾挂侧链液晶聚合物和腰挂侧链液晶聚合物在结晶相和液晶相转变过程中的液晶基元取向情况.研究表明,石英基材表面倾向于诱导偶氮液晶基元垂直于基材排列;观察到了在液晶态尾挂侧链液晶聚合物和腰挂侧链液晶聚合物的不同取向行为.在室温下重新结晶数天后,腰挂液晶聚合物的紫外可见光谱缓慢回复.     

液晶聚合物/柔性链聚合物共混体系相分离形态

利用元胞动力学方法在二维情况下对浓度、取向序参量的含时Ginzberg-Landau方程进行数值求解,研究了液晶聚合物/柔性链聚合物共混体系的相分离动力学,考察了浓度、取向有序过程的耦合对相分离形态的影响.结果表明,此耦合作用对相分离的时间进程以及相分离图样的空间排布都有影响.液晶聚合物的取向有序相当于增加了两组分间的不相容性而促进两相分离;两个序参量在热力学方面的耦合使液晶聚合物趋向于沿着界面方向取向,而动力学方面的耦合使液晶聚合物分子沿着其取向方向扩散,相分离图样的空间排布由这两种效应共同决定通过极化率张量的定义用数值方法模拟得到了相分离体系的小角光散射图样,结果表明,散射强度分布具有方位角依赖性,它是由浓度、取向序参量的空间变化共同决定的.     

热致液晶含氯侧基聚芳醚酮的单晶状条带织构

通常主链液晶高分子在受到剪切作用时 ,分子微纤呈周期性锯齿状排列 ,其光学效应表现为在偏光显微镜下可观察到相互平行且与剪切方向垂直的条带织构 [1] .而厚度适中的主链液晶聚合物薄膜经过热处理 ,即使没有受到剪切取向的作用 ,介晶微区的尺寸发展到一定大小时也会形成条带织构 ,即所谓结晶诱导[2 ] 和固化诱导 [3,4 ] 的条带织构 .在所报道的条带织构中 (包括剪切和非剪切 ) ,分子链均平行于膜平面 .本文研究发现 ,热致液晶氯代聚芳醚酮的薄膜样品在其高有序液晶温区经热处理 ,可形成结晶诱导的单晶状条带织构 ,其分子链垂直于膜平面 .…     

侧基横挂偶极单元的液晶聚苯撑乙炔的合成与表征

为了制备电致偏振光发光材料, 以对苯二乙炔和2,5-二溴苯衍生物为单体,通过Sonogashira偶联反应, 采用不同Pd催化剂, 合成了一种侧基横挂偶极基团的液晶聚苯撑乙炔. 单体的化学结构通过IR, NMR和元素分析等方法得到确证. 聚合物外观为黄色粉状固体, 室温下溶于CHCl3和THF等有机溶剂. 将聚合物加热到各自的玻璃化转变温度以上都能形成液晶态并显示双向液晶性. 考察了不同催化剂对合成的聚合物的分子量、聚合物链中单体单元的结构排列以及液晶性质的影响. 结果表明, 两种不同的Pd催化剂对合成的聚合物的分子量以及液晶态温度范围影响不大, 但对聚合物的立构规整性以及聚合物的液晶态织构有较大的影响. Pd(PPh3)4作催化剂合成的聚合物中单体单元的结构排列较单一, 可以观察到清晰的液晶态织构. 以PdCl2(PPh3)2为催化剂合成的聚合物链中单体单元的结构排列相对复杂, 液晶态织构不明显. 变温X 射线衍射研究证实聚合物均为向列相液晶.     

Reversible Photoinduced Switching of Permeability in a Cast Non‐Porous Film Comprising Azobenzene Liquid Crystalline Polymer

Permeation characteristics of an azobenzene‐containing liquid crystalline (LC) non‐porous film are investigated using a metallic corrosion method. Thin films (300 nm) are fabricated by the solution casting of an azobenzene side‐chain LC polymer on freshly polished carbon steel coupons. Coated coupons are treated under the following conditions: a) gradual annealing at a cooling rate lower than 1 °C · min⁻¹ from 150 °C (above its T_g) to room temperature, and b) irradiation at 465 nm (20 mW · cm⁻²) with either circularly polarized light (CPL) or non‐polarized light (NPL). The morphology of these films is characterized using X‐ray diffraction, polarized optical microscopy, and transmission measurements. The results suggest that the annealing treatment resulted in the formation of a polydomain structure consisting of locally ordered small smectic domains that lack mutual orientation. Ordered micro domains are surrounded by disordered phases. CPL and NPL irradiation generates a monodomain orientated structure and an isotropic liquid crystal glass, respectively. The permeability of these non‐porous films treated by CPL, NPL, and annealing are found to be 6.14 × 10⁻⁴, 1.92 × 10⁻², and 1.56 × 10⁻³ cm³ · m⁻² · d⁻¹. An orientation‐dependent structure model is constructed to explain the permeation phenomenon, considering the ordered phase is impermeable, only the disordered phase is accessible to penetrating molecules. Fast switching of gas permeation is demonstrated by alternative irradiation of the film with CPL and NPL, which results in an approximately 30‐fold difference in the permeability of the non‐porous film.

     

Relationship between fracture toughness and domain size of liquid‐crystalline epoxy resins having polydomain structure

A liquid‐crystalline (LC) epoxy resin was cured at different temperatures and some types of curing systems having different phase structures (isotropic or polydomain, which have a microscopically ordered LC network structure) were obtained. The diameters of each domain in the polydomain system changed from the small to the larger size. The diameters of the LC domains were evaluated using a polarized optical microscope and the polarized microscopy FTIR mapping method. These systems were used to investigate the relationship between the network arrangement and mechanical properties. The fracture toughness of the cured systems was related to the enlargement of the ordered area in the network structures. With the toughness improvement, the meandering cracks were observed at the fracture surfaces. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 156–165, 2009     

Dynamic Switching of the Circularly Polarized Luminescence of Disubstituted Polyacetylene by Selective Transmission through a Thermotropic Chiral Nematic Liquid Crystal

The circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) of chiral disubstituted liquid‐crystalline polyacetylene (di‐LCPA) can be dynamically switched and amplified from left‐ to right‐handed CPL and vice versa through the selective transmission of CPL across a thermotropic chiral nematic liquid crystal (N*‐LC) phase. By combining a chiral di‐LCPA CPL‐emitting film with an N*‐LC cell and tuning the selective reflection band of the N*‐LC phase to coincide with the CPL emission band, a CPL‐switchable cell was constructed. The phase change induced by the thermotropic N*‐LC cell by varying the temperature leads to a change in the selective transmission of CPL, which enables the dynamic switching and amplification of CPL. It is anticipated that CPL‐switchable devices might find applications in switchable low‐threshold lasers and optical memory devices.     

Bireactive calamitic liquid crystals derived from fluorene ester linkage

New thermotropic liquid crystalline monomer esters, containing fluorene in their mesogenic core with luminescent properties, were synthesized and characterized. The monomers studied exhibited a broad mesomorphic range and a nematic phase was identified by differential scanning calorimetry and polarized optical microscopy. Absorption and photoluminescence spectra studied in solution indicated that these compounds possess good optical stability. Linearly polarized light emission was observed in oriented thin films prepared by an in‐situ photopolymerization technique. The preparation of oriented thin films shows a preferential emission direction necessary for application in linearly polarized blue light‐emitting diodes.     

Bireactive calamitic liquid crystals derived from fluorene ester linkage

New thermotropic liquid crystalline monomer esters, containing fluorene in their mesogenic core with luminescent properties, were synthesized and characterized. The monomers studied exhibited a broad mesomorphic range and a nematic phase was identified by differential scanning calorimetry and polarized optical microscopy. Absorption and photoluminescence spectra studied in solution indicated that these compounds possess good optical stability. Linearly polarized light emission was observed in oriented thin films prepared by an in-situ photopolymerization technique. The preparation of oriented thin films shows a preferential emission direction necessary for application in linearly polarized blue light-emitting diodes.     

Designing thermotropic liquid crystalline polyazomethines based on fluorene and/or oxadiazole chromophores

The main objective of this paper was to synthesize luminescent thermotropic liquid crystalline polyazomethines containing chromophoric mesogen, which design has been addressed to optoelectronic materials. The investigation of the thermotropic behavior by three complementary methods of analyses, i.e. polarized optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and wide angle X-ray diffraction, indicated a nematic mesophase for the polymers containing oxadiazole units, either alternating or random ones. A mesomorphic state maintaining the degree of order of the semicrystalline state while being viscous fluid was evidenced too. The photoluminescence spectra recorded for both polymer solutions and films exhibited a blue light emission. These results point to the possibility of obtaining monodomain or multidomain ordered thin films without grain boundaries showing good mechanical and luminescent properties.     

Influence of different linkage groups in biphenyl mesogenic core on phase behaviors of mesogen‐jacketed liquid crystalline polymers

The work focuses on the design, synthesis, and characterization of a series of mesogen‐jacketed liquid crystalline polymers (MJLCPs) based on the octyl substituted biphenyl mesogenic core through different linkage groups. The molecular characterizations of the polymers obtained by conventional free radical polymerization were performed with ¹H NMR, gel permeation chromatography, and thermogravimetric analysis. Their thermotropic liquid crystalline (LC) behaviors were investigated in detail by a combination of various techniques, such as polarized light microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and 1D and 2D wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction. Our results showed that all the polymers were thermally stable, and their LC phases were greatly dependent on the linking groups between the biphenyl mesogenic core and terminal alkyl group substituent. Polymers with ether/ester or ether linkage group exhibited an unusual phase behavior with temperature increasing, tetragonal columnar nematic LC phase, or columnar nematic phase developed at high temperatures for the polymers transformed into amorphous phase during cooling process, showing a re‐entrant phase behaviors. However, polymers with ester linkage group were not LC with temperature varied. It is illustrated that subtle changes in the molecular structure brought about tremendous variation of the LC phase properties for MJLCPs. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2013, 51, 2545–2554     

Photo-triggered assembly/disassembly of macroscopically ordered monodomain lamellar structure in side-chain liquid crystalline polymer containing strong polar azobenzene mesogens

Assembly of ordered structures by an external stimulus allows for design of functional materials with enhanced physical and chemical properties. A new side-chain liquid crystal polymer containing strong polar azobenzene mesogens was synthesised. A macroscopically ordered monodomain smectic-like lamellar structure having orientational order and positional order was immediately assembled by linear polarised light irradiation (473 nm, 20 mW/cm²) at room temperature. The lamellar layer with its periodic d-spacing of 1.9 nm and mesogens arranged at an inclination angle of about 75° were characterised by X-ray diffraction and polarising optical microscopy which showed a diffraction peak at 2θ?=?4.53° and an off-centred interference figure. Reversible assembly and disassembly of the lamellar phase were achieved by alternative irradiation with polarised light and non-polarised light. Potential factors influencing the assembly of the ordered lamellar structure were investigated by controlling the mesogens out-of-plane orientation and by changing the polarities of mesogens. The difference in arrangement of the mesogens between the lamellar phase and a thermotropic smectic phase was also compared by heating the selectively exposed film. The light controllable assembly of mesogens provides an easy route to assemble a lamellar phase in azobenzene containing polymers for application in optical and photonic devices.     

Photoinduced anisotropy and photoalignment of nematic liquid crystals by a novel polymer liquid crystal with a coumarin-containing side group

A new type of photo-crosslinkable methacrylate polymer liquid crystal (PLC) with a coumarincontaining mesogenic side group was synthesized and applied as the photoalignment layer for low molecular mass nematic liquid crystals. Linearly polarized ultraviolet light was directed onto a thin film of PLC under various exposure conditions. When a film was irradiated at room temperature, a small negative optical anisotropy was generated due to angular-selective photo-crosslinking. In contrast, when the film was exposed near the clearing temperature of the PLC, the induced anisotropy was positive due to thermally enhanced photoinduced reorientation of the side groups. The aggregation of the mesogenic groups was also observed when the irradiation was carried out in the liquid crystalline temperature range of the PLC. The LC alignment on the photoreacted film was greatly dependent on these irradiation conditions. It was made clear that the LC alignment was regulated by the interaction among the LC, the photo-crosslinked side groups and the remaining mesogenic side groups, and that the aggregated mesogenic groups inhibited the LC alignment.     

Photoinduced anisotropy and photoalignment of nematic liquid crystals by a novel polymer liquid crystal with a coumarin-containing side group

A new type of photo-crosslinkable methacrylate polymer liquid crystal (PLC) with a coumarincontaining mesogenic side group was synthesized and applied as the photoalignment layer for low molecular mass nematic liquid crystals. Linearly polarized ultraviolet light was directed onto a thin film of PLC under various exposure conditions. When a film was irradiated at room temperature, a small negative optical anisotropy was generated due to angular-selective photo-crosslinking. In contrast, when the film was exposed near the clearing temperature of the PLC, the induced anisotropy was positive due to thermally enhanced photoinduced reorientation of the side groups. The aggregation of the mesogenic groups was also observed when the irradiation was carried out in the liquid crystalline temperature range of the PLC. The LC alignment on the photoreacted film was greatly dependent on these irradiation conditions. It was made clear that the LC alignment was regulated by the interaction among the LC, the photo-crosslinked side groups and the remaining mesogenic side groups, and that the aggregated mesogenic groups inhibited the LC alignment.