Structural studies of laterally attached liquid crystalline polymers

Abstract

Structural studies of a series of laterally attached side chain liquid crystalline polysiloxanes have been made by X-ray diffraction. All but one exhibit a nematic phase with S_C-like short range ordering. The diffraction has been interpreted in terms of a model in which the mesogenic units form a ‘jacket’ around the polymer backbone. The backbone conformation has been studied by small angle X-ray scattering from oriented samples of mesomorphic solutions and by infrared dichroism measurements on oriented samples of the polymers. In both cases the results were consistent with the mesogens being oriented parallel to the backbone which is consistent with the ‘mesogen jacket’ model.     

Electrooptical properties of liquid crystalline side chain polymers with laterally attached mesogenic units

The electrooptical properties of side-chain liquid crystalline polymers were investigated for the case that the mesogenic units were attached laterally rather than longitudinally to a flexible chain backbone via flexible spacer units. The experimental finding is that these polymers display unusual electrooptical properties within the isotropic phase in the neighborhood of the transition into the nematic phase. The polymers are characterized by the occurrence of a fast and a slow electrooptical response both of which show a critical divergence of the Kerr constant and the Kerr relaxation time. In addition, they show deviations between the rise and the decay values of the Kerr constants and in certain cases also of the Kerr relaxation times. Finally an overshoot of the induced birefringence following a sudden stepwise increase of the applied electric field has been found for one of these polymers. All these features can be accounted for on the basis of a newly developed theoretical approach that considers the particular dipolar and optical polarization configurations of these polymers.     

Thermotropic laterally attached liquid crystalline polymers: I. New stationary phases for high-performance liquid chromatography

Up to now thermotropic liquid crystalline side chain polymers have been seldom used as stationary phases in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The preparation of a new class of surface modified silica gels is reported. They are obtained by coating on the silica support liquid crystalline polysiloxanes with mesogenic side groups laterally attached to the polymer backbone through a flexible spacer. Their chromatographic behavior in reversed-phase HPLC is described for the separation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The results show excellent planarity and rod shape recognition capabilities. Comparisons with low-molecular-mass liquid crystalline-bonded silica and longitudinally attached liquid crystalline polymer-coated stationary phase are also reported. Finally, comparisons to commercially available C₁₈ phases are described for the separation of complex mixtures.     

Main chain liquid crystalline polymers with laterally linked organometallic mesogens

The synthesis and characterization of the phase behaviour of a homologous set of polymers of 1,m-diamino-n-alkanes with bis[4-(4-alkoxybenzoyloxy)-2-hydroxybenzaldheyde]copper(II) is reported. The structural peculiarity of these polymers, which is indicated in the title, stems from the presence of metal-complexed salicylideneaminato segments connected via the nitrogen atoms. Calorimetric analysis, polarizing optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction and dynamic viscosity measurements indicate the occurrence of nematic mesomorphism for all the polymers-including two structural analogues containing Ni(II) or Pd(II) in place of Cu(II).     

Main chain liquid crystalline polymers with laterally linked organometallic mesogens

The synthesis and characterization of the phase behaviour of a homologous set of polymers of 1,m-diamino-n-alkanes with bis[4-(4-alkoxybenzoyloxy)-2-hydroxybenzaldheyde]copper(II) is reported. The structural peculiarity of these polymers, which is indicated in the title, stems from the presence of metal-complexed salicylideneaminato segments connected via the nitrogen atoms. Calorimetric analysis, polarizing optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction and dynamic viscosity measurements indicate the occurrence of nematic mesomorphism for all the polymers-including two structural analogues containing Ni(II) or Pd(II) in place of Cu(II).     

Structural models for some crystalline and liquid crystalline polymers

Structural models for the crystalline and liquid crystalline smectic phase are presented for polymethylsiloxanes with mesogenic side groups and for some crystalline and lyotropic liquid crystalline cholesteric phases of cellulose derivatives. Optical and X-ray methods have been applied in these investigations.     

Structural variations of liquid crystalline polymers with phasmidic-type mesogens

The fixation of phasmidic-type mesogens through spacer groups to polysiloxane backbones provided a method of obtaining liquid crystalline polymers with phasmidic mesogens as side groups. The polymer 6b showed a bilayer structure in the mesophase range. The tendency to form liquid-crystalline phase depends on the number and the length of alkoxy substituents.     

Structures and properties of liquid‐crystalline polymers based on laterally attached oligo p‐phenylenes

The structures and properties of liquid‐crystalline polymers containing laterally attached p‐terphenyl and p‐pentaphenyl have been studied. In contrast to their mesogenic groups, that is, p‐terphenyl and p‐pentaphenyl, the polymers have much lower crystallinity and also lower nematic‐to‐isotropic transition temperatures. The significant depression in crystallinity can be attributed to flexible chain segments laterally attached to the oligo p‐phenylene rods, which prevent close packing of the rods and thus disrupt the crystallization. The destabilization of the liquid‐crystalline phase is due to the diluting effect of the flexible polymer backbones; that is, the concentration of the mesogenic groups is reduced. The polymer containing p‐pentaphenyl can still exhibit good solubility in common solvents and emit light at about 402 nm in the solvent tetrahydrofuran. In the solid state, the emission redshifts to 418 nm, which is fairly close to the blue‐light emission. An interdigitated packing structure of mesogenic groups has been proposed to represent the structure of the polymer in the oriented state. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 3394–3402, 2005     

Synthesis and characterization of rigid‐chain liquid–crystalline polymers containing laterally attached side rods

A series of rigid‐chain polymers containing different concentrations of laterally attached side rods was synthesized. These polymers exhibited liquid crystallinity even up to a maximum side rod concentration of 20 mol %. The crystallinity of the polymers, however, decreased with an increase in the side‐rod concentration. These polymers had lower dielectric constants compared with their parent polymers, that is, similar polymers, but without laterally attached side rods. A dielectric constant of 2.6 can be achieved by incorporating 10 mol % of laterally attached side rods, which is 0.5 lower than that of its parent polymer. The reduction of dielectric constant may be attributed to low crystallinity as well as the less dense packing structure of the polymers induced by the incorporation of laterally attached side rods. This series of polymers also had good thermal stability. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 1288–1294, 2001     

Synthesis and X-ray investigation of liquid crystalline polymers containing laterally methyl-substituted tolane-based mesogenic side groups

A series of polymethacrylates containing laterally methyl-substituted 4-alkoxy-4-nitrotolane, 4-alkoxy-4'-cyanotolane, and 4-alkoxy-4'-trifluoromethyltolane as mesogenic side groups are presented. The thermal behaviours of the prepared compounds were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, optical polarized microscopy and X-ray diffraction. All of the obtained methacrylate monomers exhibit no mesophase, while most of the synthesized polymers reveal enantiotropic mesomorphism. The polymer containing 4-propyloxy-2'-methyl-4'-nitrotolane side groups was the only one to show no mesomorphic behaviour. The spacer length and the nature of terminal group have a profound influence on the type of mesophase formed and the thermal stability. Incorporation of a lateral methyl-substituent into the mesogenic groups reduces the thermal stabilities of the mesophases. X-ray diffraction reveals that polymers with a smectic A or smectic E phase have the inclination to form a bilayer structure. Increasing the temperature within the smectic phase range, the intermolecular spacing increases while the layer spacing decreases. On the other hand, introducing a lateral substituent into the mesogenic side groups leads to increase in both layer and intermolecular spacing.     

Development of thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers

Wholly aromatic, thermotropic liquid crystalline (LC) terpolyesters made from 6-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid (HNA) and 4,4′-biphenol (BP) as key components have been prepared and evaluated for utility as high performance fiber precursors. The processability and fiber properties of a specific composition (1) made from both HNA and BP were compared with those of a more well-known LC terpolyester made from p-hydroxybenzoic acid, tere- and isophthalic acids and BP (Ekonol^® type). The advantages of polymer 1 and its high-modulus fiber are described.     

Viscoelastic properties of liquid crystalline polymers

The viscoelastic properties of main-chain liquid-crystalline polymers are reviewed with an emphasis on the main differences that these materials show with respect to the behaviour of ordinary polymers. The distinction between the anomalies directly arising from the material anisotropy and those which are related to the polydomain structure is also emphasised.     

Synthesis and liquid crystalline properties of novel laterally connected twins

Several laterally connected twin mesogens incorporating rigid p-terphenyl units have been synthesized. Their liquid crystalline behaviour was investigated by polarizing microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. If one compares the twins with their respective halves, the mesophase stabilizing influence of the lateral fixation becomes evident. It obviously pre-organizes the calamitic units and therefore stabilizes smectic phases. The mesophase behaviour of these twins depends strongly on the length and the structure of the spacer. Short as well as highly polar and rigid spacer units give rise to smectic phases with high transition temperatures. By increasing the spacer length the mesophase stability is drastically diminished. Dimesogenic 4,4'-didecyloxyterphenyl derivatives containing spacers consisting of two connecting atoms exhibit smectic C phases exclusively. Elongation of the spacer to three connecting atoms gives an S_A-S_c dimorphism, and in the case of compounds with longer spacers mostly the S_A phase and in one case the nematic phase were found.     

Self-assembled bent-core side-chain liquid crystalline polymers

The synthesis of H-bonded bent-core side-chain liquid crystal polymers carried out by two alternative synthetic routes and their properties are reported.     

Photoresponsive liquid crystalline and amorphous polymers

Isomerization processes of azobenzene dyes dissolved in a glassy polymeric matrix or attached in glassy amorphous or liquid crystalline polymers to the backbone as side groups are induced by light. The isomerization process, in turn, causes the dye to reorient provided that polarized light is used: the long axis of the dye is oriented perpendicular to the polarization direction in the stationary case. Such a reorientation gives rise to strong modifications of the optical properties. This contribution is concerned with the analysis of the correlation between the nature of the azobenzene dyes, the isomerization, reorientation and modulations discussed above and with possible applications in the optical holographic storage. Considered are, in particular, dye/matrix combinations giving rise to nonlinear holographic responses, two photon holography, transient holographic modes applicable for holographic displays and the optical switching of other than optical properties.