The synthesis and properties of some chiral mesomorphic quaterphenyl and cyclohexylterphenyl derivatives and the FLC compositions based upon them

This paper describes the synthesis and mesomorphic properties of some new liquid crystalline quaterphenyl and cyclohexylterphenyl derivatives – the Ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) compositions based upon them. The FLC compositions containing the new quaterphenyl derivatives are characterised by a wide temperature range of the Sm-C* phase, a low operating voltage and a very good quality of orientation in the cells (thermal and the mechanical stable ‘shock-free’).     

钙钛矿铁电纳米片诱导的P (VDF-TrFE)取向生长

Ferroelectric polymers are particularly attractive for applications in flexible electronic devices, and controlling its crystalline phase growth is crucial for obtaining optimized ferroelectric properties. Herein we report that a very low introduction (0.2% (w)) of single-domain ferroelectric PbTiO₃ nanoplates can effectively mediate the nucleation and subsequent growth of a crystalline phase within P (VDF-TrFE) (denoted by PVTF), forming highly oriented films and significantly improving the ferroelectric properties due to an alignment of the polarization directions of the polymer and the nanoplates.     

液晶聚合物网络研究进展

综述了液晶聚合物网络的新进展。包括液晶热固体、液晶弹性体和液晶互穿网络。介绍了各种网络的合成、主要性能和应用前景。     

Highly fluorinated thermotropic liquid crystals: an update

Fluorine is used in liquid crystal materials in order to give them particular properties as compared to their hydrocarbon homologues. This leads to use of the new compounds as materials mainly in display devices such as Twisted Nematic Liquid Crystals Display (TNLCD) or for the development of Surface Stabilized Ferroelectric smectic C* display (SSFLCDs). In this paper, we describe recent studies and research effort concerning the liquid crystalline behavior of compounds incorporating a highly fluorinated part with more than one fluoromethylene units. We examine some of their mesophase properties and the impact of molecular shape on the resulting liquid crystal behavior.     

Electro-optical properties of ferroelectric liquid crystalline polymers

Ferroelectric liquid crystalline polymers (FLCPs) were synthesized. These ferroelectricities were confirmed directly by measuring polarization reversal currents and other electro-optical properties. The smectic layer structure of FLCP was also studied. A chevron structure similar to that of low molecular weight FLC was observed even in an FLCP cell; but the zigzag defects were not so sharp, which means that it is easy to obtain a good orientation even in large-area displays.     

近晶型聚硅氧烷侧链液晶的合成与表征

以烯丙基溴、对羟基苯甲酸、对氰基苯酚为主要原料合成了液晶基元对-烯丙氧基苯甲酸对-羟基苯氰酯,通过硅氢化加成反应将其接枝到聚甲基氢硅氧烷主链上,合成了一种新型的聚硅氧烷侧链液晶.通过傅里叶变换红外光谱仪(FT-IR)、氢核磁共振仪(1H-NMR)、差示扫描量热仪(DSC)、热台偏光显微镜(POM)和X-射线衍射仪(XR...     

Freestanding ferroelectric elastomer films

A ferroelectric crosslinkable liquid crystalline copolysiloxane exhibiting broad chiral smectic C^* and smectic A phases was synthesized and aligned by spin-coating from solution. The homeotropic orientation of the mesogens was checked by polarizing microscopy and X-ray scattering measurements. Crosslinking in the smectic A phase using UV-irradiation stabilizes the spin-coated films mechanically and fixes the monodomain orientation of the smectic A phase. Freestanding Ferroelectric Elastomer Films (FFEF) can be obtained by removing the substrate.     

MORPHOLOGICAL STUDIES OF A THERMOTROPIC SIDE-CHAIN LIQUID CRYSTALLINE POLYMER DURING MESOPHASE TRANSITIONS*

The morphological features of a side-chain liquid crystalline polymer during the mesophasetransitions were investigated by using the DSC technique. The polymer used was polyacrylate with mesogensof three benzene rings attached to the main chain through a flexible spacer. A special two-phase texture wasobserved in the transition temperature range. Similar to main-chain liquid crystalline polymers the transitionprocess of the side-chain liquid crystalline polymer was composed of an initiation of the new phase at localplaces of the old phase matrix and a growth process of the new phase domains.     

Phase behaviour and electro-optic characteristics of a polymer stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal

The effects of adding a diacrylate monomer or its polymerized network to a ferroelectric liquid crystal have been characterized. The monomer lowers the temperatures of transition to the more ordered phases, whereas the polymer network phase separates into polymer rich and LC rich phases and has little effect on the LC phase behaviour. Ferroelectric polarization decreases comparably in both monomer and networked systems. As the network concentration increases, the size of LC domains decreases considerably. With low concentrations of polymer and, thus large LC domains, optical response and tilt angle remain fairly independent of polymer concentration, but as the polymer concentration increases, switching speed and tilt angle decrease dramatically. Polymerization rate maxima increase with monomer concentration until saturation of monomer in the liquid crystal is reached. The rate maxima then decrease as monomer must diffuse from monomer rich droplets. Double bond conversion during the polymerization is comparable for all monomer concentrations below 50 per cent.     

一种西佛碱侧链型液晶高分子的合成及表征

一种西佛碱侧链型液晶高分子的合成及表征邹友思，林国良，姚青青，戴李宗，潘容华（厦门大学化学系厦门３６１００５）关键词联苯，西佛碱，侧链型，液晶高分子，基团转移聚合Ｆｉｎｋｅｌｌｎａｎｎ等提出的柔性基去偶合概念’］已在侧链型液晶高分子的研究中得到了证实...     

Photoinduced alignment of polymerisable liquid crystals on photoreactive polymers containing 2,6-bis(benzylidene)-1-cyclohexanone units in the main chain

Photoreactive polymers containing 2,6-bis(benzylidene)-1-cyclohexanone (bisBC) units were synthesised and investigated as a photoalignment layer for polymerisable liquid crystals (PLCs) and liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs). The liquid crystalline materials were aligned homogeneously on the photoalignment layers in a wide range of irradiation dose of linearly polarised UV light (LPUVL). Specifically, for the photoalignment layer baked at 80°C, order parameters of the liquid crystalline materials were low due to the disturbance of oriented-photoreactive polymer caused by the contact with the solvent of liquid crystalline materials. However, the liquid crystalline materials were aligned homogeneously even at low irradiation doses on the thermally cured photoalignment layer baked at 180°C. In addition, the liquid crystalline materials were aligned perpendicular to the LPUVL electric field. The alignment mechanism is discussed by comparing the retardation of photoalignment layer with anisotropic polarisabilities of model molecules calculated by density functional theory (DFT). It is suggested that the liquid crystalline materials aligned along the unreacted chromophores in the photoreactive polymer.     

有机硅侧链液晶研究进展

综述了国内外有机硅侧链液晶近年来的研究进展，对近晶型、席夫碱型、向列型、胆甾型、偶氮苯型、鱼骨型以及光学非线性型几种主要类型的有机硅侧链液晶进行了详细介绍，并对近年来受到重视的有机硅侧链液晶电流性和离聚物研究进展作了较全面的总结，最后对其应用前景进行了展望。     

Molecular Filtration of Hydrocarbon Isomers Through Polymer/[Liquid Crystal] Composite Membranes

Ultrathin membranes of a polymer/(liquid crystal) mixture were prepared by spreading a single drop of a casting solution on the water surface. The thickness and the aggregation state of the water-cast membrane can be controlled by the kind of solvent and the concentration of the solution. In the case of a liquid crystalline state above the crystal-nematic phase transition temperature, T _KN, the polymer (liquid crystal) composite membrane follows Henry's law for the sorption isotherm of hydrocarbon gases and, also, Fickian sorption for the sorption-desorption kinetics. These results indicate that hydrocarbon gases permeate through a homogeneous medium composed of liquid crystalline molecules. Therefore, the permeability coefficients of hydrocarbon gases can be controlled by the dimensions of the channels through which the gas molecules diffuse. The channel for diffusion is generated by thermal or fluctuating molecular motion which opens up the intermolecular distance between liquid crystalline molecules. In the case of a self-supported liquid crystalline membrane, the channel dimension can be controlled in the range of several Å by both the intermolecular distance and the degree of thermal molecular motion of the liquid crystalline molecules. Separation of hydrocarbon isomers was investigated by use of composite membranes composed of a polymer matrix and self-supported liquid crystalline molecules.     

液晶离聚物--液晶行为的研究

综述了液晶离聚物中离子的种类,位置、在链中浓度对液晶性能的影响,无论是主链还是侧链液晶离聚物,离子的种类,位置对中介区间的宽度有影响,但对中介相类型基本没有影响,当离子浓度增大到一定值时,液晶性能消失。     

热致液晶性聚酯酰胺的研究进展

热致液晶性聚酯酰胺由于其独特的化学结构，形成了一新的液晶聚合物体系，本文就类热致性晶聚合物体系的研究进展作进行了述评。     

Thermo-optical analysis as a complementary method in the study of phase transitions of thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer and its blends with polycarbonate

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermo-optical analysis (TOA) were applied to study the phase transitions phenomena of thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer and its blends with polycarbonate. It was found that both methods are complementary. Glass transition temperatures of the blends of polycarbonate with liquid crystalline polymer were measured and discussed.     

Liquid crystalline side chain polymer with a poly (Geraniol-co-MMA) backbone and phenylbenzoate mesogenic group: synthesis and characterization

A new side chain liquid crystalline polymers have been synthesized and characterized in which [geraniol-co-MMA] polymer are used as a backbone linked via polymethylene spacer to phenyl benzoate mesogenic group. The polymer exhibits enantiotropic liquid crystallinity with nematic phase and does not exhibit side chain crystallization .A clear difference between the nature of the mesophase is evidenced between [Geraniol-co-MMA] main chain and methacrylate polymers .The LC polymer exhibit glass transition at 40 °C. In a comparative analysis, we discuss the relevance of polymer backbone in the synthesis of side chain liquid crystalline polymers.     

Computer simulations of interactions between liquid crystal molecules and polymer surfaces II. Alignment of smectic C-forming mesogens

Computer simulations have been performed to examine the behaviour of the liquid crystalline molecule 4-n-heptyl-2-fluoro-phenyl 4-n-octyloxybiphenyl-4-carboxylate (MBF) when in contact with crystalline polymer surfaces. The simulations form part of a study of the alignment interactions that are found in liquid crystal displays. MBF forms several smectic phases including a chiral smectic C* phase when suitably doped. In this paper we examine the way that layers of MBF molecules interact with the structure of the crystalline polymer surface, with the aim of understanding how molecular level interactions give rise to macroscopic phenomena such as the cone angle in ferroelectric liquid crystal devices. Molecular dynamics simulations consisting of a fixed crystalline polymer surface in contact with either a single MBF molecule or up to two layers of them (48 molecules) have been performed. A variety of simple polymer surfaces have been examined and the simulations show that the cone angle is highly dependent on the geometry of both the liquid crystal molecule and the polymer substrate. For molecules of MBF on polyethylene substrates, a cone angle of 20 is predicted, in line with experimental findings.     

Composite structure of liquid crystal/polymer nanotubes revealed by high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy.

We have applied high-angle annular dark-field microscopy to the characterization of the structure of template-grown nanotubes composed of a polymer and a discotic liquid crystalline material. Selective staining of the liquid crystal phase with ruthenium tetroxide was used to develop adequate Z-contrast that allows us to distinguish between the two phases. At appropriate staining conditions, we could clearly visualize, in the annular dark-field mode, a 5-15-nm thin liquid crystalline layer precipitated on the inner surface of the polymer tubes. Cryo-electron diffraction has shown high alignment of the discotic columns within the layer parallel to the tube axis. However, although the polymer/liquid crystal phase separation is almost complete, the wetting behavior of the polymer in relation to the template appears to be sensitively influenced by kinetic factors.     

Phase behavior of liquid crystalline elastomers based on a tri-vinyl mesogenic cross-linker

A series of cross-linked liquid crystalline polymers are prepared by graft copolymerization, and their liquid crystalline properties are characterized by DSC and POM. The results show that low levels of cross-linking do not obviously affect the phase behavior of the network polymers; in contrast, high levels of cross-linking may have more drastic influences, and liquid crystalline phases may lose, and more marked variation in phase transition will occur in materials with more direct coupling through a shorter or stiffer coupling chain between mesogenic side units and polymer backbone. At the same time, the coupling between the polymer chain and sidegroups results in stress-induced orientation in LCEs.