Thermal effects on liquid-crystalline order in polymers with mesogenic side groups

X-ray studies on polymers with phenyl benzoate side groups separated from the main chain by spacer groups of various lengths have been performed. It was found that the dimensions of liquid-crystalline regions are 15–20 nm, and they contain four to six close-packed layers. Thermal changes in x-ray scattering are associated with the variation of sizes and concentration of liquid-crystalline regions determined by the mobility of the main chain.     

Synthesis of side chain liquid-crystalline polysiloxane containing trans-cyclohexane-based mesogenic side groups

The synthesis and characterization of nine new side chain liquid-crystalline polysiloxanes containing one cyclohexyl ring and another 2-4 aromatic rings in their mesogenic side groups are described. All synthesized polymers displayed nematic mesomorphism. Most of the polymers showed a very wide mesomorphic temperature range. The mesogenic core length has profound influence on the phase transitions of the polymers. The mesomorphic temperature range increased with increasing mesogenic core length.     

Synthesis of side chain liquid-crystalline polysiloxane containing trans-cyclohexane-based mesogenic side groups

Abstract

The synthesis and characterization of nine new side chain liquid-crystalline polysiloxanes containing one cyclohexyl ring and another 2-4 aromatic rings in their mesogenic side groups are described. All synthesized polymers displayed nematic mesomorphism. Most of the polymers showed a very wide mesomorphic temperature range. The mesogenic core length has profound influence on the phase transitions of the polymers. The mesomorphic temperature range increased with increasing mesogenic core length.     

Investigations on the texture and structure of crystalline and liquid-crystalline phases of a side group polyacrylate with a biphenyl mesogenic moiety

Polyacrylates and polymethacrylates with mesogenic side groups have been synthesized for a structural investigation by observations of textures and by X-ray diagrams of smectic and crystalline phases. With the preparation of well developed textures, characteristic features of the various phases were recognized and related to different structures. Changes of textures within one phase and at the phase transition were studied. Various crystalline modifications, dependent on sample treatment and transformations, were identified by different textures. X-ray diffraction experiments on analogously treated samples confirmed and completed the results of the optical investigations. The results for one polymeric compound are represented and discussed in detail.     

Specific features of liquid-crystalline comb-like polymers with mesogenic groups

The results of structural investigation of the new type of the liquid-crystalline thermotropic methacrylic polymers are discussed. These polymers contain mesogenic groups as models for cholesteric, nematic and smectic types of low-molecular liquid crystals. The groups are attached to the backbone through methylene bridges of various lengths. The polymers of the first group have amorphous structure; the polymers of the second group are characterized by liquid crystalline structure and those of the third group can exist in both crystalline and liquid-crystalline states, manifesting properties of enantiotropic liquid crystals. The temperatures and heats of phase transitions have been determined. It is shown that the ability to realize the liquid-crystalline state of comb-like polymers with mesogenic groups depends on and is determined by the proceess of ordering of these groups.     

Broadband dielectric spectroscopy on ferroelectric liquid-crystalline side group polymers

Broadband dielectric spectroscopy (10^-1 to 10⁷Hz, 100 to 450 K) has been applied, for the first time, to investigate the molecular dynamics of recently synthesized fast switching ferroelectric side group polymers. The softmode could be studied in detail in the S_c* phase and in the S₁* phase. At the transition a pronounced increase of the relaxational strength was found whereas its relaxational frequency remains constant The softmode is the molecular basis for the electroclinic effect which has high application potential for ferroelectric liquid crystal polymers.     

Synthesis and characterization of side-chain liquid-crystalline poly(ether ester)s having p-substituted biphenyl mesogenic side groups

Several novel mesogenic spiro-orthoester monomers such as 1,6,10-trioxaspiro[4,5]decanes 4 , containing biphenyl mesogens at the C-8 positions of the five- and six-membered spirocyclic ring, through the alkylene spacers of different lengths were prepared by condensation reaction of the corresponding biphenyl mesogenic 1,3-propanediol 3 with 2,2-diethoxytetrahydrofuran, with 50–75% yields. Through cationic double ring-opening polymerization, carried out with boron trifluoride etherate as an initiator (5 mol % vs. monomer) in bulk at 150°C, spiro-orthoester monomers 4 afforded a novel class of side-chain thermotropic LC polymers with a poly(ether ester) as the main chain 8 . The liquid-crystalline properties of the spiro-orthoester monomers and the resulting polymers were examined by differential scanning calorimetry and optical polarized microscopy. Biphase separation was observed in the side-chain liquid-crystalline poly(ether ester)s upon annealing in the broad isotropic region. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. A Polym. Chem. 36: 2439–2455, 1998     

Discotic liquid-crystalline side chain polymers with inositol derivatives as mesogens

The synthesis of monofunctionalized myo- and scyllo-inositol derivatives and their attachment as side groups on a polysiloxane backbone are described. All polymers with scyllo-inositol mesogens show liquid-crystalline behaviour. In contrast to this the myo-inosital mesogens containing polymers exhibit no liquid-crystalline phases.     

Synthesis and mesomorphic structures of comb liquid-crystalline polymers with lipopeptidic side chains

Lipopeptidic macromonomers were synthesized from bi-functional lipids by two methods and transformed into comb copolymers with lipopeptidic side chains by radical polymerization of their acrylate, methacrylate, acrylamide or methacrylamide terminal group. X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry studies showed that comb copolymers exhibit both a thermotropic and a lyotropic behaviour and present smectic and nematic mesophases. The influence of the solvent concentration, the degree of polymerization of the peptidic chains and the nature of the main chains on the structural parameters of the smectic mesophases were established in the case of copolymers with liposarcosine side chains.     

Synthesis and phase behaviour of liquid-crystalline side group polyesters

Several series of liquid-crystalline side group polymers with a polyester backbone structure have been synthesized using mesogenic diethylmalonate and 1,3-propanediol derivatives. The structures of the polymer backbone and the mesogenic units have been varied systematically. As shown by differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing microscopy and X-ray diffraction, the side group polyesters exhibit nematic and/or smectic mesophases. Polyesters synthesized from mesogenic diethylmalonate derivatives can tolerate long non-mesogenic segments in the polymer main chain without losing their liquid crystal properties. X-ray studies suggest that some of the smectic polymers exhibit interdigitated bilayer S_A phases.     

Two-dimensional NMR study of slow phenyl-flips in liquid-crystalline side group polymers

Abstract

Glass-forming liquid-crystalline group polymers were investigated by ²H 2D exchange NMR. In oriented systems, the exchange pattern of a single 2D spectrum yields the orientational distribution function with at least as high precision as a full rotation pattern of 1D spectra. In addition, important information about the geometry of the phenyl-flip motion is obtained. The 2D lineshapes are particularly sensitive towards possible slow motion of the flip axis which could be envisaged to fluctuate within the orientational distribution of the mesogenic group. However, the experimental spectra for a frozen nematic and a frozen smectic polysiloxane with an orientational distribution of width ±18·5° and ±12·5°, respectively show no indication of the corresponding features, proving that the flip axis is fixed within ± 3° even after a large number of flips.     

Two-dimensional NMR study of slow phenyl-flips in liquid-crystalline side group polymers

Glass-forming liquid-crystalline group polymers were investigated by ²H 2D exchange NMR. In oriented systems, the exchange pattern of a single 2D spectrum yields the orientational distribution function with at least as high precision as a full rotation pattern of 1D spectra. In addition, important information about the geometry of the phenyl-flip motion is obtained. The 2D lineshapes are particularly sensitive towards possible slow motion of the flip axis which could be envisaged to fluctuate within the orientational distribution of the mesogenic group. However, the experimental spectra for a frozen nematic and a frozen smectic polysiloxane with an orientational distribution of width ±18·5° and ±12·5°, respectively show no indication of the corresponding features, proving that the flip axis is fixed within ± 3° even after a large number of flips.     

Molecular dynamics of a liquid-crystalline polymer with laterally fixed mesogenic side groups

Abstract

The long range molecular dynamical behaviour of liquid-crystalline side chain polymers with the mesogenic groups linked laterally to the backbone have been studied by using dielectric relaxation spectroscopy over a broad temperature and frequency range. The samples were oriented homeotropically and homogenously by electric and magnetic fields and the relaxations were recorded during alignment and with the fully aligned samples. By fitting the data to theoretical relaxation curves, accurate relaxation parameters could be determined, allowing us to perform a comparison with end-fixed liquid-crystalline side chain polymers on the one hand and with low molecular weight liquid crystals on the other. The relaxation in homeotropic alignment for the laterally fixed compound has more analogies in some aspects, for example, the relaxation time distribution, with low molecular weight liquid crystals than with the corresponding end-fixed compounds, though the activation energy is very large (241 kJ/mol). We relate this to the length of the rigid mesogenic unit and the resulting stronger repulsion by the neighbouring side chains during reorientation. In homogeneous alignment the relaxation is very broad and also has a large activation energy. Different molecular processes are related to this relaxation regime. The relationship between the different relaxation processes and the molecular structure is discussed.     

Dynamic mechanical and thermal behavior of liquid-crystalline polybutadiene-diols with mesogenic groups in side chains

Liquid-crystalline polybutadiene-diols (LCPBDs) with the comb-like architecture were synthesized by reaction of a LC thiol with the double bonds of telechelic HO-terminated polybutadiene (PBD). LCPBDs with various initial molar ratios of thiol to double bonds of PBD, R₀, in the range from 0.15 to 1, were prepared by the radical reaction at temperature 60 °C for 48 h. The experimentally obtained degree of modification, R_e, after the reaction and purification, was determined from elemental analysis - from the amount of sulphur bounded in LCPBDs, GPC and from ¹H NMR spectra. The physical properties were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical spectroscopy. With increasing R_e ratio the glass transition temperature of LCPBDs, T_g, increases from ∼ − 45 °C (neat PBD) to ∼20 °C (R_e ∼ 0.5). LC transition starts at R_e ∼ 0.27 (the transition temperature T_m ∼ 27 °C). With increasing R_e temperature T_m increases and for R_e ∼ 0.5 reaches the value T_m ∼ 74 °C; at the same time also the change in enthalpy at LC transition increases. The LC transition could be detected also by the dynamic mechanical spectroscopy; especially shape and position of mechanical functions on frequency and free volume parameters strongly depend on degree of modification.     

Synthesis and characterization of polymers containing linear sugar moieties as side groups

The synthesis of a water-soluble monomer, namely 4-vinylphenyl-d-gluco(d-manno)hexitol (4) derived from d-gluconolactone, is here presented. The homopolymerization of the vinylsugar has been conducted in both aqueous and organic media using free-radical initiators. High-molar-mass water-soluble polymers are obtained. The copolymerization behavior of the vinylphenyl sugar monomer with a hydrophilic monomer such as acrylamide, as well as with a hydrophobic monomer such as styrene, has been investigated. Statistical- and block-type copolymers have thus been prepared. The structures of the polymers were confirmed by NMR and their thermal properties examined by DSC.     

Synthesis and characterization of conjugated polymers containing a carbazole moiety

Two series of conjugated polymers with a carbazole moiety were synthesized by Knovenagel and Wittig condensations. The chemical structure, thermogravimetric, photophysical and electrochemical properties of the polymers were characterized by ¹H‐NMR, IR, GPC, TG, UV‐vis, FL, and CV. The results indicated that PBM is the most thermally stable one and PBP is the most thermally instable one. The absorption and emission properties of the polymers were adjusted by the modification of chemical structures. The quenching effect of cyano group and oxygen atom results in the lower fluorescence quantum efficiency. The fitted emission spectra suggested that the emission spectra of all the polymers come from different vibronic transitions and aggregation emission. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.