Synthesis of comb‐type polycarbosilanes via nucleophilic substitution reactions on the main‐chain silicon atoms

A series of comb‐type polycarbosilanes of the type [Si(CH₃)(OR)CH₂]_n {where R = (CH₂)_mR′, R′ = ? O‐p‐biphenyl? X [X = H (m = 3, 6, 8, or 11) or CN (m = 11)], and R′ = (CF₂)₇CF₃ (m = 4)} were prepared from poly(chloromethylsilylenemethylene) by reactions with the respective hydroxy‐terminated side chains in the presence of triethylamine. The product side‐chain polymers were typically greater than 90% substituted and, for R′ = ? O‐p‐biphenyl? X derivatives, they exhibited phase transitions between 27 and 150 °C involving both crystalline and liquid‐crystalline phases. The introduction of the polar p‐CN substituent to the biphenyl mesogen resulted in a substantial increase in both the isotropization temperature and the liquid‐crystalline phase range with respect to the corresponding unsubstituted biphenyl derivative. For R = (CH₂)₁₁? O‐biphenyl side chains, an analogous side‐chain liquid‐crystalline (SCLC) polysiloxane derivative of the type [Si(CH₃)(O(CH₂)₁₁? O‐biphenyl)O]_n was prepared by means of a catalytic dehydrogenation reaction. In contrast to the polycarbosilane bearing the same side chain, this polymer did not exhibit any liquid‐crystalline phases but melted directly from a crystalline phase to an isotropic liquid at 94 °C. Similar behavior was observed for the polycarbosilane with a fluorocarbon chain, for which a single transition from a crystalline phase to an isotropic liquid was observed at ?0.7 °C. The molecular structures of these polymers were characterized by means of gel permeation chromatography and high‐resolution NMR studies, and the crystalline and liquid‐crystalline phases of the SCLC polymers were identified by differential scanning calorimetry, polarized optical microscopy, and X‐ray diffraction. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 984–997, 2003     

Amphiphilic polymer electrolytes consisting of PVC‐g‐POEM comb‐like copolymer and LiCF3SO3

An amphiphilic comb‐like copolymer consisting of a poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) backbone and poly((oxyethylene)₉ methacrylate) (POEM) side chains, PVC‐graft‐POEM was synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization. This comb copolymer was complexed with LiCF₃SO₃ to form a solid polymer electrolyte. FTIR and FT‐Raman spectroscopy indicate that lithium salts are dissolved in the ion conducting POEM domains of microphase‐separated graft copolymer up to 10 wt % of salt concentration. Microphase‐separated structure of the materials and the selective interaction of lithium ions with POEM domains were revealed by transmission electron microscopy, wide angle X‐ray scattering, and differential scanning calorimetry. The maximum ionic conductivity of 4.4 × 10^?5 S/cm at room temperature was achieved at 10 wt % of salt concentration, above which salts are present as less mobile species such as ion pairs and higher order ionic aggregates, as characterized by FT‐Raman spectroscopy. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 1443–1451, 2009     

Antifouling poly(vinylidene fluoride) ultrafiltration membranes containing amphiphilic comb polymer additive

An amphiphilic comb polymer consisting of poly(vinylidene fluoride‐co‐chlorotrifluoroethylene) [P(VDF‐co‐CTFE)] main chains and poly(oxyethylene methacrylate) (POEM) side chains was synthesized using direct initiation of the chlorine atoms in CTFE units through atom transfer radical polymerization, as confirmed by ¹H NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. The P(VDF‐co‐CTFE)‐g‐POEM comb polymer was introduced as an additive to prepare poly(vinylidene fluoride) antifouling ultrafiltration membranes. As the contents of comb polymer increased, the mechanical properties of membranes slightly decreased due to the decreased crystallinity of the membranes, as revealed by universal testing machine and X‐ray diffraction. However, water contact angle measurement and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the hydrophilic POEM segments spontaneously segregated on the membrane surfaces. As a result, the antifouling property of the membranes containing P(VDF‐co‐CTFE)‐g‐POEM comb polymer was considerably improved with a slight change of water flux. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 183–189, 2010     

Synthesis and Mesomorphic Properties of Poly(oxyethylene) with [(6‐Heptylsulfonyl)hexylthio]methyl Side Groups

[(6‐Heptylsulfonyl)hexylthio]methyl‐substituted poly(oxyethylene) bearing a very polar sulfone group in the middle of the alkyl side chain was successfully synthesized by the reaction of poly[oxy(chloromethyl)ethylene] and (6‐heptylsulfonyl)hexyl thioacetate with sodium ethoxide in N,N‐dimethylacetamide. The ordered phase of the polymer was studied using X‐ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and IR spectroscopy. The polymer was found to be liquid crystalline, although not having any conventional mesogenic group. It was suggested that the highly polar sulfone group in the side chain induces the self‐assembly of the liquid crystalline phase.     

Side‐chain liquid‐crystalline polymers based on flexible rod‐like mesogen directly attached to backbone

In this article, we report the synthesis and characterization of a new end‐on side‐chain liquid crystalline polymer (SCLCP), poly[4‐(4′‐alkoxyphenyloxymethylene)styrene] [denoted as Poly(n‐POMS), where n is the carbon number of the alkyl tail, n = 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16], with the flexible rod‐like mesogenic side‐chain directly attached to the polymer backbone without flexible spacer. The polymer was obtained by using free radical polymerization. The chemical structures of Poly(n‐POMS) and the corresponding monomer were characterized using various techniques with satisfactory analysis data. A combination analysis of differential scanning calorimetry, polarized light microscopy, small angle X‐ray scattering, and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction has been conducted to investigate the phase behavior of Poly(n‐POMS). Poly(2‐POMS), Poly(4‐POMS), and Poly(6‐POMS) are amorphous. Poly(8‐POMS) develops partially into the liquid crystal phase, and Poly(12‐POMS) and Poly(16‐POMS) self‐assembly into the smectic A (SmA) phase. Upon increasing temperature, the phase transition of Poly(16‐POMS) follows the sequence of SmA1 ? SmA2 ? isotropic (I), which may be attributed to the conformation isomerization of the flexible rod‐like mesogens. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Synthesis,characterization, and self‐assembly of comb‐dendronized amphiphilic block copolymers

Novel amphiphilic comb‐dendronized diblock copolymers composed of hydrophobic Percec‐type dendronized polystyrene block and hydrophilic comb‐like poly(ethylene oxide) grafted polymethacrylate P(PEOMA) block were designed and synthesized via two steps of atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The comb‐like P(PEOMA) prepared by ATRP of macromonomers (PEOMA) with two different molecular weights (M_n = 300 and 475) were used to initiate the sequent ATRP of dendritic styrene macromonomer (DS). The molecular weights and compositions of the obtained block copolymers were determined by ¹H NMR analysis. The copolymers with relatively narrow polydispersities (1.27–1.38) were thus obtained. The bulk properties of comb‐dendronized block copolymers were studied by using differential scanning calorimetry, polarized optical microscopy and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD). Similar to dendronized homopolymers, the block copolymers exhibited hexagonal columnar liquid‐crystalline phase structure. By using such amphiphilic comb‐dendronized block copolymers as building blocks, the rich self‐assembly morphologies, such as twisted string, vesicle, and large compound micelle (LCM), were obtained in a mixture of CH₃OH and THF. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 4205–4217, 2008     

Synthesis and properties of comb polymers with semirigid mesogen‐jacketed polymers as side chains

A series of novel comb polymers, poly{2,5‐bis[(4‐methoxyphenyl)oxycarbonyl]styrene}‐g‐polystyrene (PMPCS‐g‐PS), with mesogen‐jacketed rigid side chains were synthesized by the “grafting onto” method from α‐yne‐terminated PMPCS (side chain) and poly(vinylbenzyl azide) (backbone) by Cu(I)‐catalyzed 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition click reaction. The α‐yne‐terminated PMPCS was synthesized by Cu(I)‐catalyzed atom transfer radical polymerization initiated by a yne‐functional initiator. Poly(vinylbenzyl azide) was prepared by polymerizing vinylbenzyl chloride using nitroxide mediated radical polymerization to obtain poly(vinylbenzyl chloride) as the precursor which was then converted to the azide derivative. The chemical structure and architectures of PMPCS comb polymers were confirmed by ¹H NMR, gel permeation chromatography, and multiangle laser light scattering. Both surface morphologies and solution behaviors were investigated. Surface morphologies of PMPCS combs on different surfaces were investigated by scanning probe microscopy. PMPCS combs showed different aggregation morphologies when depositing on silicon wafers with/without chemical modification. The PMPCS comb polymers transferred to polymer‐modified silicon wafers using the Langmuir‐Blodgett technique showed a worm‐like chain conformation. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Amphiphilic mesogen‐jacketed liquid crystalline polymers: Design,synthesis, and self‐assembly behaviors

We synthesized a series of amphiphilic mesogen‐jacketed liquid crystalline (LC) polymers with a biphenyl side‐chain mesogen containing a carboxylic acid group on one side and an octyloxy group on the other, and the number of methylene units between the biphenyl core and the exterior carboxylic acid group was varied to adjust the mesophases and the amphiphilic nature. The polymers were obtained through conventional radical polymerizations and characterized by a combination of different techniques such as thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, polarized light microscopy, and X‐ray scattering. The results revealed that the polymer without any methylene spacer, POBP‐0C, did not exhibit LC properties while POBP‐1C (n = 1) and POBP‐7C (n = 7) formed double layer smectic A (S_A) phases. The hydrogen bonding among the carboxylic acid groups and the segregation between the carboxylic acid groups and the alky chains played important roles in forming the mesophases. In addition, the solution self‐assembly behaviors were also preliminarily investigated through the fluorescent probe technique and transmission electron microscopy, and vesicles with uniform sizes were observed. The weak hydrophilicity and large degree of freedom of the carboxylic acid group and the relative rigidity of the polymer chain due to the “jacketing” effect were responsible for the formation of the structures. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

High‐molecular‐weight side‐chain liquid‐crystalline polyethers based on 4′‐cyanobiphenyl‐4‐oxy mesogenic groups

A set of poly[ω‐(4′‐cyano‐4‐biphenyloxy)alkyl‐1‐glycidylether]s were synthesized by the chemical modification of the corresponding poly(ω‐bromoalkyl‐1‐glycidylether)s with the sodium salt of 4‐cyano‐4′‐hydroxybiphenyl. New high‐molecular‐weight side‐chain liquid‐crystalline polymers were obtained with excellent yield and almost quantitative degree of modification. All side‐chain liquid‐crystalline polymers were rubbers soluble in tetrahydrofuran. The characterization by ¹H and ¹³C NMR revealed no changes in the regioregular isotactic microstructure of the starting polymer and the absence of undesirable side reactions such as deshydrobromination. The liquid crystalline behavior was analyzed by DSC and polarized optical microscopy, and mesophase assignments were confirmed by X‐ray diffraction. Polymers that had alkyl spacers with n = 2 and 4 were nematic, those that had spacers with n = 6 and 8 were nematic cybotactic, and those that had longer spacers (n = 10 and 12) were smectic C and showed some crystallization of the side alkyl chains. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 3002–3012, 2004     

Influence of fluorinated substituent and terminal length on phase behavior of mesogen‐jacketed liquid crystalline polymers with a biphenyl mesogen

A series of mesogen‐jacketed liquid crystalline polymers, poly{2,2,3,3,4,4,4‐heptafluorobutyl 4′‐hydroxy‐2‐vinylbiphenyl‐4‐carboxylate} (PF3Cm, where m is the number of carbon atoms in the alkoxy groups, and m = 1, 4, 6, and 8), the side chain of which contains a biphenyl core with a fluorocarbon substituent at one end and an alkoxy unit of varying length on the other end, were designed and successfully synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization. For comparison, poly{butyl 4′‐hydroxy‐2‐vinylbiphenyl‐4‐carboxylate} (PC4Cm), similar to PF3Cm but with a butyl group instead of the fluorocarbon substituent, was also prepared. Differential scanning calorimetric results reveal that the glass transition temperatures (T_gs) of the two series of polymers decrease as m increases and T_gs of the fluorocarbon‐substituted polymers are higher than those of the corresponding butyl‐substituted polymers. Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction measurements show that the mesophase structures of these polymers are dependent on the number of the carbon atoms in the fluorocarbon substituent and the property of the other terminal substituent. Polymers with fluorocarbon substituents enter into columnar nematic phases when m ≥ 4, whereas the polymer PF3C1 exhibits no liquid crystallinity. For polymers with butyl substituents, columnar nematic phases form when the number of carbon atoms at both ends of the side chain is not equal at high temperatures and disappear after the polymers are cooled to ambient temperature. However, when the polymer has the same number of carbon atoms at both ends of the side chain, a hexagonal columnar phase develops, and this phase remains after the polymer is cooled. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Influence of alkoxy tail length and unbalanced mesogenic core on phase behavior of mesogen‐jacketed liquid crystalline polymers

When the flexible terminal substituent changes from butoxy to hexyloxy or longer, smectic C (S_C) liquid crystalline phase was firstly reported to develop from a kind of mesogen‐jacketed liquid crystalline polymer (MJLCP) whose mesogenic side groups are unbalancedly bonded to the main chain without spacers. A series of MJLCPs, poly[4,4′‐bis(4‐alkoxyphenyl)‐2‐vinylbiphenyl(carboxide)] (nC2Vp, n is the number of the carbons in the alkoxy groups, n = 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12) were designed and synthesized successfully via free radical polymerization. The molecular weights of the polymers were characterized with gel permeation chromatography, and the liquid crystalline properties were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, polarized light microscopy experiments, and 1D, 2D wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction. Comparing with the butoxy analog, the polymer with unbalanced mesogenic core and shorter flexible substituents (n = 2, 4) keeps the same smectic A (S_A) phase, but other polymers with longer terminal flexible substituents (n = 6, 8, 10, and 12) can develop into a well‐defined S_C phase instead of S_A phase. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 505–514, 2009     

Tailoring the liquid crystalline property via controlling the generation of dendronized polymers containing azobenzene mesogen

The first‐ and second‐generation dendronized polymers containing azobenzene mesogen were designed and successfully synthesized via free radical polymerization. The chemical structures of the monomers were confirmed by elemental analysis, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR. The molecular characterizations of the polymers were performed with ¹H NMR and gel permeation chromatography. The phase structures and transition behaviors were studied using differential scanning calorimetry, polarized light microscopy, and small‐angle X‐ray scatter experiments. The experiment results revealed that the first‐generation dendronized polymer exhibited liquid crystalline behavior of the conventional side‐chain liquid crystalline polymer with azobenzene mesogen, that is, the polymer exhibited smectic phase structure at lower temperature and nematic phase structure at higher temperature. However, the second‐generation dendronized polymers exhibited more versatile intriguing liquid crystalline structures, namely smectic phase structure at lower temperature and columnar nematic phase structure at higher temperature, and moreover, the phase structure still remained before the decomposition temperature. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1149–1159, 2010     

Liquid crystalline conjugated polymers and their applications in organic electronics

This article describes the syntheses and electro‐optical applications of liquid crystalline (LC) conjugated polymers, for example, poly(p‐phenylenevinylene), polyfluorene, polythiophene, and other conjugated polymers. The polymerization involves several mechanisms: the Gilch route, Heck coupling, or Knoevenagel condensation for poly(p‐phenylenevinylene)s, the Suzuki‐ or Yamamoto‐coupling reaction for polyfluorenes, and miscellaneous coupling reactions for other conjugated polymers. These LC conjugated polymers are classified into two types: conjugated main chain polymers with long alkyl side chains, namely main‐chain type LC polymers, and conjugated polymers grafting with mesogenic side groups, namely side‐chain type LC conjugated polymers. In general, the former shows higher transition temperature and only nematic phase; the latter possesses lower transition temperature and more mesophases, for example, smectic and nematic phases, depending on the structure of mesogenic side chains. The fully conjugated main chain promises them as good candidates for polarized electroluminescent or field‐effect devices. The polarized emission can be obtained by surface rubbing or thermal annealing in liquid crystalline phase, with maximum dichroic ratio more than 20. In addition, conjugated oligomers with LC properties are also included and discussed in this article. Several oligo‐fluorene derivatives show outstanding polarized emission properties and potential use in LCD backlight application. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 2713–2733, 2009     

Ordered nanostructures at two different length scales mediated by temperature: A triphenylene‐containing mesogen‐jacketed liquid crystalline polymer with a long spacer

A mesogen‐jacketed liquid crystalline polymer (MJLCP) containing triphenylene (Tp) moieties in the side chains with 12 methylene units as spacers (denoted as PP12V) was synthesized. Its liquid crystalline (LC) phase behavior was studied with a combination of solution ¹H NMR, solid‐state NMR, gel permeation chromatography, thermogravimetric analysis, polarized light microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and one‐ and two‐dimensional wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction. By simply varying the temperature, two ordered nanostructures at sub‐10‐nm length scales originating from two LC building blocks were obtained in one polymer. The low‐temperature phase of the polymer is a hexagonal columnar phase (Φ_H, a = 2.06 nm) self‐organized by Tp discotic mesogens. The high‐temperature phase is a nematic columnar phase with a larger dimension (a′ = 4.07 nm) developed by the rod‐like supramolecular mesogen—the MJLCP chain as a whole. A re‐entrant isotropic phase is found in the medium temperature range. Partially homeotropic alignment of the polymer can be achieved when treated with an electric field, with the polymer in the Φ_H phase developed by the Tp moieties. The incorporation of Tp moieties through relatively long spacers (12 methylene units) disrupts the ordered packing of the MJLCP at low temperatures, which is the first case for main‐chain/side‐chain combined LC polymers with MJLCPs as the main‐chain LC building block to the best of our knowledge. The relationship of the molecular structure and the novel phase behavior of PP12V has implications in the design of LC polymers containing nanobuilding blocks toward constructing ordered nanostructures at different length scales. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 295–304     

Hydrodynamic properties and conformation of poly(3‐hexylthiophene) in dilute solutions

Conducting polymers demonstrate low solubility in organic solvents. Introducing aliphatic substituents into polymer chains improves their solubility, but may also lead to changes in conformational characteristics of macromolecules. In the present work, the studies of hydrodynamic properties and conformational characteristics of comb‐shaped poly(3‐hexylthiophene) with aliphatic side substituents were carried out in chloroform solutions. Conformational analysis of the studied macromolecules was performed for the first time using homologous series with a wide range of molecular weights of the polymers in dilute solutions. The hydrodynamic properties of these macromolecules were interpreted using the worm‐like spherocylinder model and the straight spherocylinder model. The projection of the monomer unit in the direction of the main polymer chain λ = 0.37 nm was determined experimentally. The following parameters of poly(3‐hexylthiophene) were characterized and quantified: equilibrium rigidity (Kuhn segment length) А = 6.7 nm and hydrodynamic diameter of a polymer chain d = 0.6 nm. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 875–883     

Thermoresponsive Polyphosphoester via Polycondensation Reactions: Synthesis,Characterization, and Self-Assembly

Using a novel strategy, amphiphilic polyphosphoesters based on poly(oxyethylene H-phosphonate)s (POEHP) with different poly(ethylene glycol) segment lengths and aliphatic alcohols with various alkyl chain lengths were synthesized using polycondensation reactions. They were characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C {H} NMR ³¹P NMR, IR, and size exclusion chromatography (SEC). The effects of the polymer structure on micelle formation and stability, micelle size, and critical micelle temperature were studied via dynamic light scattering (DLS). The hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance of these polymers can be controlled by changing the chain lengths of hydrophilic PEG and hydrophobic alcohols. A solubilizing test, using Sudan III, revealed that hydrophobic substances can be incorporated inside the hydrophobic core of polymer associates. Loading capacity depends on the length of alkyl side chains. The results obtained indicate that these structurally flexible polymers have the potential as drug carriers.     

Fine structure and phase transition behavior of fluorinated comb copolymers

The fine structure in the solid state and phase transition behavior of newly synthesized comb copolymers having fluorocarbon and hydrocarbon side‐chains were investigated by temperature controlled wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). From the WAXD profiles, two kinds of short spacing peaks based on the formation of the subcell for fluorinated and hydrogenated side‐chains were confirmed at 5.0 and 4.1 Å, respectively. Furthermore, two kinds of endothermic peaks, which corresponded to melting peaks of both side‐chain crystals, appeared in heating process of the DSC thermograms. From these experimental findings, the phase separation structure having the independently packed immiscible side‐chain crystalline was formed in the whole polymer crystal. In addition, it was found that these comb polymers formed highly ordered (double) layer structure estimated using WAXD and small angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS). These fluorinated comb copolymers form a monolayer on the water surface and their transferred film with phase‐separated structure at nanometer size on solid. There were hydrogenated domains at 10–20 nm diameter scales in these phase separated surface structure of monolayers. From these experimental results, these copolymer monolayers are expected to be used as a new molecular device such as nanolithography based on the surface patterning of polymer nanomaterials. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 416–425, 2006     

Synthesis and properties of mesogen‐jacketed liquid crystalline polymers containing biphenyl mesogen with asymmetric substitutions

This work focuses on the design, synthesis, and characterization of a series of mesogen‐jacketed liquid crystalline polymers (MJLCPs), poly(alkyl 4′‐(octyloxy)‐2‐vinylbiphenyl‐4‐carboxylate) (pVBP(m,8), m = 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12). For the first time, we realized asymmetric substitutions in the mesogens of MJLCPs. The polymers obtained by conventional free radical polymerization were investigated in detail by a combination of various techniques, such as differential scanning calorimetry, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, and polarized light microscopy. Our results showed that all the polymers were thermally stable, and their glass transition temperatures decreased when m increased. The liquid crystalline (LC) phases that developed at high temperatures and disappeared at low temperatures were strongly dependent on the difference in lengths of alkyl groups on the 4 and 4′ substitution positions of the side‐chain biphenyl. While polymer pVBP(1,8) was not liquid crystalline, columnar liquid crystalline phases were observed for all other pVBP(m,8) (m = 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12) polymers. Polymer pVBP(8,8) showed a tetragonal columnar nematic liquid crystalline phase, and the other LC polymers exhibited columnar nematic phases. In additions, the smaller the difference in the lengths of the terminal alkyls, the easier the development of the liquid crystalline phase. Birefringence measurements showed that solution‐cast polymer films exhibited moderately high positive birefringence values, indicating potential applications as optical compensation films for liquid crystal displays. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Novel Amphiphilic Diblock and Triblock Liquid‐Crystalline Copolymers with Well‐Defined Structures Prepared by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

Summary: Based on a hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) macroinitiator (PEOBr), a novel amphiphilic diblock copolymer PEO‐block‐poly(11‐(4‐cyanobiphenyloxy)undecyl) methacrylate) (PEO‐b‐PMA(11CB)) was prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using CuCl/1,1,4,7,10,10‐hexamethyltriethylenetriamine as a catalyst system. An azobenzene block of poly(11‐[4‐(4‐butylphenylazo)phenoxyl]undecyl methacrylate) was then introduced into the copolymer sequence by a second ATRP to synthesize the corresponding triblock copolymer PEO‐b‐PMA(11CB)‐b‐PMA(11Az). Both of the amphiphilic block copolymers had well‐defined structures and narrow molecular‐weight distributions, and exhibited a smectic liquid‐crystalline phase over a wide temperature range.

The amphiphilic triblock copolymer synthesized here.     

Temperature induced structural evolution of a fluorene‐thiophene copolymer on rubbed surfaces

The thermal alignment of the liquid crystalline fluorene‐thiophene copolymer (F8T2) on rubbed polyimide surfaces is investigated by ex‐situ and in‐situ X‐ray scattering experiments. The ex‐situ characterization allows an assignment of the observed diffraction peaks to distances between polymer backbones (1.6 nm), distances between the flexible side groups of the polymer chains (0.43 nm), and intramolecular distances of adjacent ring units (0.5 nm). The in‐situ characterization allows a temperature dependent observation of the polymer chain alignment. A gradual alignment process of the polymer backbones is observed for temperatures up to 563 K. Decreasing temperature after the polymer chain alignment is accompanied by a glass transition of the side chains at 380 K. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47:1599–1604, 2009