UV irradiation gradient induced banded texture in photo-polymerized ethyl-cyanoethyl cellulose/poly(acrylic acid) cholesteric liquid crystalline films and patterns fabrication thereof

The photo-polymerization-induced banded texture of ethyl-cyanoethyl cellulose/acrylic acid/copper acrylate ((E-CE)C/AA/CuAA₂) cholesteric liquid crystalline (CLC) solutions were investigated. The results indicate that the CLC phase can be fixed by the photo-polymerization. Banded texture was obtained in the photo-polymerized CLC films. The orientation of the banded texture induced by the photo-polymerization depends on the gradient of UV irradiations on the surface of the (E-CE)C/AA/CuAA₂ CLC solutions. CLC films with different patterns can be obtained by introducing the UV irradiation gradient on the (E-CE)C/AA/CuAA₂ CLC solutions surface by using masks with different patterns. The simple approach for the fabrication of CLC films with different patterns may have the potential application in the fields of holographic image storage.     

Rotational reorganization of doped cholesteric liquid crystalline films

In this paper an unprecedented rotational reorganization of cholesteric liquid crystalline films is described. This rotational reorganization results from the conversion of a chiral molecular motor dopant to an isomer with a different helical twisting power, leading to a change in the cholesteric pitch. The direction of this reorganization is correlated to the sign of the change in helical twisting power of the dopant. The rotational reorganization of the liquid crystalline film was used to rotate microscopic objects 4 orders of magnitude larger than the bistable dopants in the film, which shows that molecular motors and switches can perform work. The surface of the doped cholesteric liquid crystalline films was found to possess a regular surface relief, whose periodicity coincides with typical cholesteric polygonal line textures. These surface features originate from the cholesteric superstructure in the liquid crystalline film, which in turn is the result of the presence of the chiral dopant. As such, the presence of the dopant is expressed in these distinct surface structures. A possible mechanism at the origin of the rotational reorganization of liquid crystalline films and the cholesteric surface relief is discussed.     

乙基氰乙基纤维素溶致性液晶的研究

纤维素和纤维素衍生物在适当的溶剂中可以形成溶致性液晶, 乙基氰乙基纤维素是纤维素的一种混合醚类衍生物, 本文研究了其溶致性液晶的形成, 结构以及不同溶剂对形成液晶所产生的影响.     

Textures and defects in lyotropic liquid crystals of ethyl-cyanoethyl cellulose

Textures and defects in ethyl-cyanoethyl cellulose [(E-CE)C]/dichloroacetic acid (DCA) cholesteric liquid crystalline solutions and in (E-CE)C/polyacrylic acid (PAA) composites were observed and studied by polarizing microscopy and electron microscopy. The existence of χ, λ and τ disclinations were observed in the mesophase with disk-like and band-like textures. Pairs of disclinations with different signs were also found in the mesophase with the band-like texture. Domain walls were observed in (E-CE)C/PAA composite films with cholesteric order by TEM. The orientation of polymer chains in the vicinity of the core of the disclinations is discussed.     

Concentration dependence of magnetic field effects on the ethyl-cyanoethyl cellulose/dichoroacetic acid cholesteric phase

The effects of an external magnetic field with intensity 9.4 T on the cholesteric phase in ethylcyanoethyl cellulose (E-CE)C]/dichloroacetic acid liquid crystalline solutions were investigated for different concentrations. It was found that the diamagnetic anisotropy of (E-CE)C is negative and the effect of the magnetic field on the orientation of the cholesteric phase is influenced by the concentration of the solution, because the liquid crystalline properties of the solutions vary with the concentration.     

Concentration dependence of magnetic field effects on the ethyl-cyanoethyl cellulose/dichoroacetic acid cholesteric phase

The effects of an external magnetic field with intensity 9.4 T on the cholesteric phase in ethylcyanoethyl cellulose (E-CE)C]/dichloroacetic acid liquid crystalline solutions were investigated for different concentrations. It was found that the diamagnetic anisotropy of (E-CE)C is negative and the effect of the magnetic field on the orientation of the cholesteric phase is influenced by the concentration of the solution, because the liquid crystalline properties of the solutions vary with the concentration.     

Phase transitions in liquid crystalline solutions of hydroxypropyl cellulose under deformation

Phase transitions and the physical state of the hydroxypropyl cellulose-dimethylacetamide system under static conditions and in a shear field were studied by the cloud-point and polarized optical microscopy techniques with a polarization-photoelectric setup and a modified plasticorder. The deformation of solutions leads to a change in their structure and elevation of liquid-crystalline phase formation temperatures, a result that is due to the additional orientation of macromolecules in the flow direction. The ability of macromolecules to be oriented in a shear field decreases with an increase in the molecular mass of the polymer. The influence of deformation on phase transitions in hydroxypropyl cellulose solutions is nonmonotonic in character.     

Molecular mass determination in the liquid crystalline state - lyotropic cholesteric phase of a cellulose derivative

Lyotropic cholesteric phases of cellulose derivative/solvent systems exhibit a reflection wavelength or supermolecular helicoidal pitch dependency on molecular mass besides the well known variation of the pitch by temperature and concentration. This observation allows a molecular mass determination by spectroscopic means (UV/VIS-, ORD-, CD-spectra) or by an evaluation of the colours seen in a polarizing microscope or by a direct measurement of the pitch with the Cano-Grandjean technique.     

Phase behavior and structure of liquid crystalline solutions of cellulose derivatives

Summary Structural and thermodynamic characteristics of liquid-crystalline solutions of four cellulose derivatives in a range of solvents were studied. Basic observations were made on these systems using polarized light microscopy, small angle light scattering, dilute solution and concentrated solution viscosities. The polymers studied include hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB), ethyl cellulose (EC), and cellulose triacetate (CT). The formation of the liquid crystalline phase was shown to strongly depend on polymer concentration, solvent type and temperature. The critical volume fraction of polymer required to form the liquid crystal phase varied significantly as the solvent changed. The critical volume fraction decreased with increasing solvent acidity and polymer intrinsic viscosity in a given solvent. The breadth of the two phase region seems to decrease with increasing acidity. The liquid crystalline phase was in most cases determined to be cholesteric. In all cases positively birefringent cellulose derivatives form negative spherulitic domains. In one case, the negativity birefringent system (cellulose triacetate) formed positively birefringent spherulitic liquid crystalline domains. This is interpreted to mean the structure organizes itself by a tangential alignment of polymer chains within the domain. SALS measurements appear to detect domains and in some cases cholesteristic pitch.With 5 figures and 4 tables     

Synthesis and properties of cholesteric liquid crystalline elastomers

The synthesis of new side-chain cholesteric liquid crystalline elastomers, containing the flexible non-mesogenic crosslinking agent M-1 and the cholesteric monomer M-2, is described by a one-step hydrosilication reaction. The chemical structures of the monomers and network polymers obtained were confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy. Their mesogenic properties and phase behavior were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing optical microscopy, and x-ray diffraction measurements. The influence of the crosslinking units on the phase behavior is discussed. The network polymers showed elasticity, reversible phase transitions, and cholesteric Grandjean texture. The experimental results demonstrated that the glass transition temperatures and isotropization temperatures of network elastomers decreased as the concentration of crosslinking units was increased, but the cholesteric phase was not disturbed.     

Synthesis and photopolymerization of cholesteric liquid crystalline diacrylates

The synthesis of chiral liquid crystalline diacrylates is described. By mixing one of them with non-chiral liquid crystalline diacrylates. cholesteric phases are obtained of which the wavelength of reflection can be chosen by the composition of the mixture. After isothermal photopolymerization of the mixture a crosslinked network is obtained with thermally stable properties.     

Electrostatically generated fibers of ethyl-cyanoethyl cellulose

Electrospinning was used to fabricate ethyl-cyanoethyl cellulose [(E-CE)C] fibers from tetrahydrofuran (THF) solutions. It was found that the solution jet is split or atomized during the flight to the grounded collector. Microcavities were detected on the surface of the fibers and these were attributed to the volatilization of the solvent (THF). The thinnest fibers generated had a diameter of about 250 nm. The crystallinity of the fibers varied with the voltage of the electrostatic field and it reached a maximum when the voltage of the electrostatic field was 50 kV.     

Band texture formation of sheared polymeric liquid crystalline state

The phenomenon of band texture formation of sheared main chain liquid crystalline polymers is reviewed. The bands seen in a polarizing microscope are optical effects. The macromolecular chains are aggregated into zig-zag bent fibrils perpendicular to the bands. The band texture is formed during shear relaxation. The induction period depends on the shear rate applied, the shearing time, solution concentration (lyotropic), solution layer thickness, temperature and the nature of the polymer. There exists a critical shear deformation to bring a multi-domain nematic or cholesteric phase into a monodomain continuous phase, from which the band texture is formed. These two phases show quite different rheological behavior. In certain cases randomly oriented regions of bands can also be formed during quenching of a thermotropic nematic polymer melt or during standing of a lyotropic nematic polymer solution, where the nematic domains in the melt or in the solution have grown to a sufficient size.     

Relaxation processes in oriented liquid crystalline polymers

A review is presented of research on oriented thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers undertaken at Leeds University. A range of main-chain polyesters has been studied based on 1,4-hydroxybenzoic acid and 2,6-hydroxynaphthoic acid as the primary monomers. By using a combination of dynamic mechanical, dielectric and NMR measurements insight has been gained into the molecular motions associated with the three principal relaxation processes. The behaviour in tension, for stresses parallel and perpendicular to the principal orientation direction, has been related to that in shear by use of mechanical models.     

Optical rotatory dispersion from liquid crystalline solutions and films of hydroxypropylcellulose

The chiroptical properties of (hydroxypropyl)cellulose (HPC) in methanol are measured by optical rotatory dispersion (ORD), both in isotropic solution and in the cholesteric liquid crystalline phase. The ORD spectra of HPC films cast from lyotropic solution are also examined. Isotropic solutions of HPC in methanol provide no ORD evidence for the presence of a helical conformation, or for concentration-induced changes in conformation. The ORD curve of HPC in methanol, when expressed as specific rotation, is independent of polymer concentration for isotropic solutions containing between 1 and 43 per cent polymer by weight. From the slope of Drude plots, the Cotton effect responsible for the observed ORD curve occurs at 175-180 nm. However a 45 per cent liquid crystal-line solution exhibits plain positive dispersion, and the magnitude of the specific rotation is also much greater than that found for solutions containing less than 43 per cent polymer. Results for more concentrated solutions confirm that ORD spectra of lyotropic liquid crystals of HPC in methanol contain a significant positive component that is not accounted for by the de Vries equation for cholesteric reflection. ORD measurements in other solvents and on dry films show that this contribution to the optical activity vanishes when the solvent is removed or when hydrogen bonding is disrupted. The effect is tentatively ascribed to a hydrogen bonded structure that contributes strongly to the optical rotation.     

Optical activity of a side group cholesteric liquid crystalline silicone

We measured, using a phase modulation technique, the optical rotation in the isotropic and blue phases of a side group cholesteric liquid crystalline silicone polymer. For comparison, similar measurements were performed on cholesteryl nonanoate (CN) and CE6. The polymer has a selective reflection close to that of CE6 and a chiral mesogenic side group chemically similar to CN. The optical activity data for the polymer, unlike those for low molecular mass liquid crystals, does not follow a simple Landau-de Gennes temperature dependence.     

Phase transitions of liquid crystalline cyanoethyl cellulose solutions under static conditions and in shear field

Phase transitions in the systems cyanoethyl cellulose-DMF, cyanoethyl cellulose-DMAA, and cyanoethyl cellulose-(trifluoroacetic acid + methylene chloride) were studied by means of the cloud-point and polarization microscopy techniques, as well as with a photoelectric polarization unit and a modified plasticorder. It was shown that the LC phase appears at higher concentrations and lower temperatures as the polarity of solvent molecules increases. The shear deformation of cyanoethyl cellulose solutions in DMF and DMAA results in the expansion of the temperature-concentration region of existence of the LC phase. The effect of shear field on phase transitions in cyanoethyl cellulose solutions is nonmonotonic in character.     

The study of phase transition in some irradiated cholesteric liquid crystalline mixtures

We present the study of binary and multicomponent cholesteric mixtures undertaken with the aim of forming a system with the temperature of the phase transition close to the room temperature, which could be suitable for the detection of ionizing radiation. The phase diagrams were established on the basis of data from the optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The mixtures were exposed to the continual spectrum of X-Ray radiation in the period of 30/60 min. The mixtures react by changing the color of the mesophase, and a shift of the mesophase transition towards lower temperatures. The duration of the effects exceeds six months.     

Effects of liquid crystalline and shear alignment on the optical properties of cellulose nanocrystal films

Rheo-optics, microspectrophotometry, and optical contrast measurements were used to gain new insights into the interrelated effects of liquid crystalline phase behavior, flow alignment, and microstructural relaxation on cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) films’ alignment and optical properties. Optical contrast measurements were found to be an effective and facile way of determining changes in anisotropy directly from cross-polarized microscopy images. This method was used to continuously measure microstructural relaxation after the cessation of shear as well as the anisotropy of dried CNC films. Aqueous liquid crystalline CNC dispersions showed greater alignment after shear than isotropic or biphasic dispersions. However, CNC gels exhibited lower alignment at equivalent shear rates. The combination of greater initial alignment and slower relaxation of sheared liquid crystalline dispersions resulted in the most optically anisotropic films. Depending on their thickness, the CNC films were optically transparent in the visible regime or exhibited tunable interference colors. The results of this work highlight the tunability of CNC dispersion processing for producing color filters and other optical materials with controlled properties.     

Thermal recordable novel cholesteric liquid crystalline polyacrylates containing various chiral moieties

To investigate the effect of spacer length and linkages between the rigid mesogenic core and the terminal group on the molecular interaction and physical properties of polymers, two series of novel side chain liquid crystalline polyacrylates were synthesized. These were composed of liquid crystalline monomers with six or eleven methylene segments as spacers, and chiral monomers end capped with menthyl or cholesteryl groups. Liquid crystalline phases of the polymers were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry and polarized optical microscopy, and confirmed with X‐ray diffractometry. Color image recording of the synthesized polymer films was achieved using a thermal treatment, and then fixed by quenching. This investigation demonstrates that the introduction of carbonate linking groups between the rigid mesogenic core and terminal group decreases both the lateral molecular interaction and thermal stability of the liquid crystalline polymers. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 6214–6228, 2008