Some Novel Smectic* Liquid-Crystalline Side-Chain Polymers

Three acrylate side-chain polymers in which the mesogenic moieties are based on the 4-n-alkoxyphenyl-4'-(4'-methylhexyloxy) benzoates have been characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. For shorter flexible spacers (n = 2) both smectic A and C^* phases are observed thus making this polymer interesting for the fabrication of electro-optical devices based on ferroelectric properties (a smectic A phase is required for alignment purposes). For longer flexible spacers, (n = 6, 11) only the smectic A phase remains.     

Some Novel Smectic* Liquid-Crystalline Side-Chain Polymers

Abstract

Three acrylate side-chain polymers in which the mesogenic moieties are based on the 4-n-alkoxyphenyl-4′-(4″-methylhexyloxy) benzoates have been characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. For shorter flexible spacers (n = 2) both smectic A and C^* phases are observed thus making this polymer interesting for the fabrication of electro-optical devices based on ferroelectric properties (a smectic A phase is required for alignment purposes). For longer flexible spacers, (n = 6, 11) only the smectic A phase remains.     

NMR Investigation of the Main-Chain Orientation in Liquid-Crystalline Side-Chain Polymers

The main-chain orientation in different groups of liquid-crystalline side-chain polymers was investigated using several NMR techniques. For two polyesters the average orientation of the main chain in dependence on the main-chain spacer length could be found from 2D PASS experiments. In polysiloxanes with different mesogenic side groups and different spacer lengths this information could be received from chemical shift anisotropy measurements. Additionally, application of a modified β-echo allowed the separation of the dipolar ²⁹Si-²⁹Si interaction and to characterize the transversal anisotropy of the main-chain segments. Comparison with small angle neutron scattering results gave good agreement, where the different length scale of both methods has to be taken into account.     

Structure-Dynamic Relationship of Side-Chain Liquid Crystal Polymer with Rigid Backbone

To understand better the antagonistic behaviour of the backbone in comparison with the mesogenisity of the pendant side groups in side-chain liquid crystal polymers series of measurements using mechanical spectroscopy as well as DSC were carried out on two disubstituted polynorbornene derivatives. In order to clarify the specific arrangement of chains, the influence of thermal history on the smectic phase stabilisation were studied. By quenching samples from different temperatures, it was possible to obtain the systems which were either in the glassy liquid-crystalline (LC) state or in the glassy isotropic amorphous state. The samples prepared in such ways were used to study the influence of the LC structure on the mobility of chains in amorphous regions. The quality model of the supermolecular structure of the LC polymers is proposed. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

胆甾相小板块织构聚硅氧烷侧链液晶的合成和性能

通过硅氢加成反应将反式-4-丙烯基-反式-4’-丙基双环己烷(液晶基元)接枝到柔性的聚硅氧烷主链上,合成一种新型的胆甾相小板块织构聚硅氧烷侧链液晶(SCLCP),产率为82.5%。采用傅里叶变换红外光谱(FT-IR)和核磁共振(1 H-NMR)对两者的分子结构进行表征,用热台偏光显微镜(POM)和X射线衍射仪(XRD)对其液晶相类型和液晶相行为进行观察和分析,用差示扫描量热仪(DSC)对其相转变温度和热性能进行分析。结果表明:SCLCP呈现胆甾相的小板块织构,液晶区间为57.33K,高于液晶基元的液晶区间。     

Physical Gels of a Syndiotactic Polystyrene Derivative with a Large Side-Chain Group

Summary: Gelation of syndiotactic poly(p-tert-butylstyrene) (sPTBS), a syndiotactic polystyrene (sPS) derivative having a larger side-chain group, was first examined with several solvents. The temperature-concentration phase diagram of sPTBS/trans-decalin gel clearly exhibited that sPTBS formed a polymer-solvent molecular compound with a ratio of 2.7 trans-decalin per one monomer unit. Our polarized fluorescence technique demonstrated that there appeared to exist more spacious free volume among sPTBS chains than sPS in a gel state. A cause determining the morphology of sPTBS with organic solvents was discussed in the present paper.     

主链或侧链含二茂铁的聚合物的合成和应用

由于二茂铁基聚合物独特的结构和性能,其在电化学、生物医学及光学等领域具有广阔应用前景。开发新型二茂铁基聚合物并探索其应用已经成为科研工作者的研究热点。本文主要综述主链或侧链含二茂铁的聚合物的合成及应用。其中合成主链含二茂铁的聚合物的方法主要有缩聚法和开环聚合法等。合成侧链含二茂铁的聚合物的方法主要有自由基聚合法、原子转移自由基聚合法和可逆加成断裂链转移聚合法等。最后,对二茂铁基聚合物的应用前景进行了展望。     

Effect of Side-Chain Structure on Thermoelasticity of Acrylic Polymers

Abstract

The validity of the current statistical theory of rubber elasticity is verified by demonstrating the importance of intra- rather than intermolecular forces in the energy contribution to the elastic stress of polyacrylates.     

A DSC-Study of Donor/Acceptor Side-Chain Polymers with Flourinated Taper-Shaped Tails

It is shown that insertion in methacrylic polymers of bulky electron donor/acceptor side-groups with taper-shaped flourinated tails promotes a self-organization of the respective side-chain polymers due to the space demands of the bulky D/A side-groups, leading to a columnar hexagonal mesophase. The presence of an Lc-phase is evidenced by DSC and identified by X-ray analysis. The orientation in the respective copolymers and polymer blends is additionally improved by the CT-interaction between the D/A side-groups. An increased packing effect due to this CT-orientation effect is evidenced in DSC by an increase of the respective transition temperatures. CT-interaction is responsible as well for a preferential polymerization of monomeric D/A-complexes leading to copolymers of alternating structures and for a zip-like arrangement along the main chain of the A/D-complexes between the interacting side-groups in polymer blends. Formation of mesophases is even observed in CT-interacting blends between the Lc-D/A side-chain polymethacrylates and the respective amorphous D/A side-chain polysiloxanes.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Thermorheological Simplicity and Fragility of Azobenzene Nematogenic Side-Chain Polymers

Summary: The linear viscoelastic response of polymers from a nematogenic azobenzene methacrylate and its copolymers with nonmesogenic methyl methacrylate was studied. These samples showed thermorheological simplicity in the whole investigated temperature range, even across the nematic-isotropic transition. The temperature dependence of the zero-shear viscosity confirmed a thermorheologically simple behavior, which allowed interpretation of η(T) in the framework of free-volume theory. The way the relaxation mechanisms tended to their asymptotic behavior was described in terms of fragility parameters, and a comparison of fragilities of the samples was carried out. The analysis of fragility and temperature dependence of viscosity provided better understanding of the way the architecture of these nematic polymers influences free-volume quantities and determines relaxation mechanisms.     

燕尾型手性侧链液晶聚合物的合成与性能

合成了燕尾型液晶单体4-(3,5-二乙酰氧基)苯甲酰氧基-4′-对烯丙氧基苯甲酰氧基联苯(M),手性液晶单体4-烯丙氧基苯甲酰氧基异丙酰氧基胆甾基酯(N),将它们与聚甲基含氢硅氧烷接枝共聚,得到燕尾型手性侧链液晶聚合物PW1~PW6。通过红外、核磁共振、差示扫描量热、偏光显微镜和热重分析等手段对所合成单体及聚合物的结构、液晶相行为及热稳定性进行了研究。结果表明,PW1~PW6为互变胆甾相热致液晶,升降温均呈现彩色Grandjean织构,液晶区间宽泛在102~160℃之间,5%热失重温度达303℃以上,热稳定性良好。     

Drug-Like Properties in Macrocycles above MW 1000: Backbone Rigidity versus Side-Chain Lipophilicity

Large macrocyclic peptides can achieve surprisingly high membrane permeability, although the properties that govern permeability in this chemical space are only beginning to come into focus. We generated two libraries of cyclic decapeptides with stable cross-β conformations, and found that peptoid substitutions within the β-turns of the macrocycle preserved the rigidity of the parent scaffold, whereas peptoid substitutions in the opposing β-strands led to “chameleonic” species that were rigid in nonpolar media but highly flexible in water. Both rigid and chameleonic compounds showed high permeability over a wide lipophilicity range, with peak permeabilities differing significantly depending on scaffold rigidity. Our findings indicate that modulating lipophilicity can be used to engineer favorable ADME properties into both rigid and flexible macrocyclic peptides, and that scaffold rigidity can be used to tune optimal lipophilicity.     

Studies on Mechanism of Grafting of Polystyrene on Elastomer Backbone

The mechanism of grafting of polystyrene on a polybutadiene (PB) backbone during the preparation of impact-resistant polystyrene was studied by withdrawing samples during propolym-erization from beginning of the reaction to about 25% conversion. Good separation of the “elastomer and graft” fraction of the polymer from the free polystyrene part could be achieved by using 0.24 volume fraction of methanol in (MEK + benzene) + methanol solvent-nonsolvent. IR analysis of the grafted fraction showed that the microstructure of the elastomer remained unaltered. The unsaturation of the samples studied through the bromine number as well as by the perbenzoic acid number was also found to remain unchanged. Formation of free polystyrene started with the onset of polymerization and was faster. During prepolymerization, 80% of styrene converted constantly to form free polystyrene and 20% went into the grafted polymer. The results indicate that grafting is initiated through proton abstraction at the α-carbon of butadiene, most probably by initiator radicals. The grafted polystyrene chains possibly are shorter than free polystyrene chains.     

不同主链"甲壳型"高分子的合成及其液晶性研究

"甲壳型"液晶高分子(MJLCP)的概念是周其凤等[1]在1987年首次提出的,随后分别被文献[2～8]所证实.由于液晶基元对空间的要求,液晶高分子主链采取尽可能伸展的构象.虽然它们在化学结构上属于侧链型,但在分子形态上更接近于主链型液晶高分子,但至今尚不清楚其产生液晶性的原因.     

A Simple Post-Polymerization Modification Method for Controlling Side-Chain Information in Digital Polymers

A three-step post-polymerization modification method was developed for the design of digitally encoded poly(phosphodiester)s with controllable side groups. Sequence-defined precursors were synthesized, either manually on polystyrene resins or automatically on controlled pore glass supports, using two phosphoramidite monomers containing either terminal alkynes or triisopropylsilyl (TIPS) protected alkyne side groups. Afterwards, these polymers were modified by stepwise copper-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). The terminal alkynes were first reacted with a model azide compound, and after removal of the TIPS groups, the remaining alkynes were reacted with another organic azide. This simple method allows for quantitative side-chain modification, thus opening up interesting avenues for the preparation of a wide variety of digital polymers.     

The Morphology of Liquid-Crystalline Polymers and the Possible Consequences for their Rheological Behaviour

Abstract

Polymer liquid crystals can occur as polydomain materials where the domain size may be tens of microns. While the material within each domain may be characterized by a common order parameter, the directors of the domains can be more or less randomly distributed. Since the transition from polydomain to monodomain material only involves the removal of grain boundaries and the alignment of directors, the free energy change must necessarily be small. Such a transition can readily be achieved, therefore, by the action of any external field: electrical, magnetic, stress or surface. In this work optical photomicrographs of polymeric liquid crystals with widely varying and in some cases well controlled morphologies are presented. Probable dependence of rheological behaviour on morphology is also discussed. Such dependence is expected to be considerable under certain conditions. Due to experimental and sample limitations, however, direct correlations of rheology and morphology are sparse. Morphological consequences for the rheology of liquid-crystalline materials can be exemplified by the following possibilities. In contrast to the case of isotropic melts, wall effects can be non-negligible. Zero shear rate rheological parameters are not expected to be uniquely defined quantities since the domain sizes are large and the director may not be effectively averaged over typical sample dimensions. Non-zero shear-rate measurements of rheological parameters is effected by the propensity of: (1) individual domain directors to align under the influence of a stress field and (2) flow alignment to dominate surface-induced alignment above some critical shear rate. The effects might be manifested by a non-newtonian regime as well as yield stress behaviour and thixotropy. The kinetics of relaxation from mono- to poly-domain material has implications for the dynamic response and rheological hysterises of the material.     

Orientational Ordering of Dyes in the Glassy State of Liquid-Crystalline Side Group Polymers

Liquid-crystalline side group copolymers containing dyes can be macroscopic-ally oriented and the orientation can be locked-in below the glass transition temperature. The order parameters of anthraquinone dyes and a trisazo dye in nematic and smectic glasses were determined by optical absorption measurements. The dyes have higher degrees of order in the smectic glass than in the nematic glass. A comparison of order parameters of covalently bonded dyes with order parameters of monomeric dyes dissolved in the corresponding homopolymers demonstrates the influence of covalently anchoring the dye to the polymer.     

The Morphology of Liquid-Crystalline Polymers and the Possible Consequences for their Rheological Behaviour

Polymer liquid crystals can occur as polydomain materials where the domain size may be tens of microns. While the material within each domain may be characterized by a common order parameter, the directors of the domains can be more or less randomly distributed. Since the transition from polydomain to monodomain material only involves the removal of grain boundaries and the alignment of directors, the free energy change must necessarily be small. Such a transition can readily be achieved, therefore, by the action of any external field: electrical, magnetic, stress or surface. In this work optical photomicrographs of polymeric liquid crystals with widely varying and in some cases well controlled morphologies are presented. Probable dependence of rheological behaviour on morphology is also discussed. Such dependence is expected to be considerable under certain conditions. Due to experimental and sample limitations, however, direct correlations of rheology and morphology are sparse. Morphological consequences for the rheology of liquid-crystalline materials can be exemplified by the following possibilities. In contrast to the case of isotropic melts, wall effects can be non-negligible. Zero shear rate rheological parameters are not expected to be uniquely defined quantities since the domain sizes are large and the director may not be effectively averaged over typical sample dimensions. Non-zero shear-rate measurements of rheological parameters is effected by the propensity of: (1) individual domain directors to align under the influence of a stress field and (2) flow alignment to dominate surface-induced alignment above some critical shear rate. The effects might be manifested by a non-newtonian regime as well as yield stress behaviour and thixotropy. The kinetics of relaxation from mono- to poly-domain material has implications for the dynamic response and rheological hysterises of the material.