Structure of a self-assembled hydrogen-bonded ‘living’ main chain liquid crystalline polymer

A main chain hydrogen-bonded liquid crystalline polymer was formed by melt mixing two complementary components, A and B, which in their individual states do not exhibit liquid crystallinity. The structure of the polymer and the thermal stability of its mesophase were studied using synchrotron radiation SAXS/WAXS/DSC at Daresbury (UK) and by variable temperature Fourier transform infrared. The chain extension, or “polymerization” process, was accelerated at the point when the polymer formed a liquid crystalline phase upon cooling from the isotropic melt. The polymer has an aabb chain structure and forms a smectic layer with a length of the A-B repeating unit. The hydrogen-bonded main chain polymer studied here is a monotropic liquid crystal. Above 150°C, it exhibits kinetic stabilization of its monotropic smectic phase. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 1617–1624, 1998     

Photoactive,liquid‐crystalline,hyperbranched benzylidene polyesters: Synthesis and characterization

A novel photoactive, liquid‐crystalline, hyperbranched benzylidene polyester (PAHBP) was synthesized from a dilute solution of an A₂ photoactive monomer [bis(4‐hydroxybenzylidene)‐4‐phenyl cyclohexanone] and a B₃ monomer (1,3,5‐benzene tricarboxylic acid chloride) by the solution polycondensation method in the presence of pyridine as a condensing agent. PAHBP was thoroughly characterized by Fourier transform infrared, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, ultraviolet–visible spectrometry, and gel permeation chromatography. The inherent viscosity of the polymer was 0.35 dL/g in tetrahydrofuran. The degree of branching was 0.53, which confirmed the branched architecture of the polymer. Furthermore, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and polarized optical microscopy were used to examine the thermal stability and thermotropic liquid‐crystalline properties of the hyperbranched polyester. The polymer exhibited a nematic mesophase over a wide range of temperatures. The photoreactivity of PAHBP was studied by photolysis under ultraviolet light. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 53–61, 2006     

Blends of a thermotropic liquid‐crystalline polymer and a poly(butylene terephthalate)/organoclay nanocomposite

Blends were synthesized via the melt blending of a thermotropic liquid‐crystalline polymer (TLCP) and a poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) hybrid containing 2 wt % organoclay. A TLCP was also synthesized with side groups based on a nematic liquid‐crystalline phase. The blends of TLCPs with PBT hybrids were melt‐spun with different concentrations of the liquid‐crystalline polymer and different draw ratios (DRs) to produce monofilaments. Regardless of the TLCP concentration in the hybrids, transmission electron microscopy photographs proved that the clay layers of the organoclay were intercalated and partially exfoliated in the PBT matrix. At DR = 1, the maximum enhancement in the ultimate tensile strength was observed for blends containing 8% TLCP, and the tensile strength decreased with further increases in the TLCP concentration. The initial modulus monotonically increased with increasing TLCP concentration. When DR increased from 1 to 44, the increased stretching caused the tensile property to decrease significantly, debonding to occur, and voids to form. These trends with increasing DR were observed in all the systems. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3667–3676, 2004     

Preparation and thermotropic liquid crystalline properties of semirigid copolyurethanes composed of biphenyl units and partially fluorinated aliphatic chains

New semirigid thermotropic liquid crystalline (LC) copolyurethanes 4 and 5 made up of biphenyl units and partially fluorinated aliphatic chains in the backbones were synthesized by melt polycondensation of a mixture of a dioxydihexanol of biphenyl 1 and two fluorine-containing diols 2a , b taken in definite feed mole ratios with alkylene diphenyl dicarbamates 3a–i having various lengths of aliphatic chains. The assigned structures of copolyurethanes 4 and 5 were identified by FTIR, ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR spectra, and elemental analyses. The thermal and mesogenic properties were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermal mechanical analyses (TMA), polarizing microscopy, and temperature-changeable X-ray analyses, whose measurements indicated that the copolymers 4 and 5 form thermotropic nematic phases and have glass transition steps around room temperature. It is suggested that the incorporation of partially fluorinated aliphatic chains into the backbones has no drastic effect on the LC formation in the semirigid copolyurethanes 4 and 5 . © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 1243–1249, 1998     

All hydrocarbon main‐chain thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers,poly(1,1′‐biphenylene‐4,4′‐alkenediyl)s,prepared by the ADMET method and their hydrogenated polymers,poly(1,1′‐biphenylene‐4,4′‐alkanediyl)s

A series of poly(4,4′‐biphenylenealkenylene)s and copolymers were prepared by the acyclic diene metathesis (ADMET) polymerization of 4,4′‐bis(alkenylene)1,1′‐biphenyls. Unsaturated polymers thus prepared were then hydrogenated to produce the corresponding saturated polymers. All the polymers were found to be thermotropic and to form solidlike smectic phases in melt. Their liquid crystallinity (LC) was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X‐ray diffractometry, and polarizing microscopy. We observed that one of the phenylene units of the biphenyl structure could selectively be hydrogenated at an elevated temperature. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 1335–1349, 2004     

Block copolymers of telechelic poly(phenylene sulfide) and semiaromatic thermotropic liquid crystalline polyester segments

We report the synthesis and characterization of copolymers comprising poly(phenyl sulfide) (PPS) blocks and semiaromatic thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer (TLCP) blocks. The copolymers, synthesized by melt-transesterification of dicarboxy-terminated poly(phenylene sulfide) with poly(ethylene terephthalate-co-oxybenzoate) (PET/OB), were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and polarized light optical microscopy (PLOM). The crystallizability and liquid crystalline properties of the copolymers are greatly influenced by the extent of interchange reactions, the mole percent of oxybenzoate with respect to the PET, the PPS : PET/OB weight ratio, and the reaction time. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 2707–2713, 1998     

Flow-induced structure in a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer as studied by SANS

Small-angle neutron scattering is utilized to determine the flow induced alignment of a model thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) as a function of shear rate and temperature. The results demonstrate that the flow-induced structures in thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers have similarities and differences to those in lyotropic liquid crystalline polymer solutions. The shear rate dependence of the alignment shows that the flow-induced alignment correlates very well to the viscosity behavior of the LCP in the shear thinning regime, while temperature variation results in a change in the extent of alignment within the nematic phase. Relaxation results also demonstrate that the flow-induced alignment remains essentially unchanged for up to an hour after the shear field has been removed. Last, there exists a regime at low shear rate and low temperature where alignment of the LCP molecule perpendicular to the applied shear flow is stable. These results provide important experimental evidence of the molecular level changes that occur in a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer during flow, which can be utilized to develop theoretical models and more efficiently process thermotropic polymers. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 3017–3023, 1998     

Crosslinking of a fibrous sample to a macro-oriented mesomorphic network

Preliminary results on the synthesis and characterization of anisotropic networks, oriented on a macroscopic scale, are reported. Fiber samples of segmented thermotropic liquid-crystalline polymers bearing the oxypentenyl lateral substituent have been crosslinked via thermally activated radical reaction. This was made possible by immersion of fiber samples in dichloromethane containing t-butylperoxybenzoate as activating agent, thus allowing its diffusion in the samples. Subsequent annealing at 145°C brings us to an anisotropic network with no loss of the original orientation. A mesophase is stabilized and no structural modification is observed by heating samples from room temperature up to 400°C, where thermal decomposition takes place. Crosslinked fibers exhibit good tensile properties, at both room temperature and at 150°C. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 433–438, 1998     

Synthesis of a pyrrole‐based methine bridge type liquid‐crystalline conjugated polymer

Conjugated polymers consisting of pyrrole or an N‐substituted pyrrole bridged by methine with a mesogenic group were synthesized. Chemical structures of the products were confirmed with IR, NMR, UV–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography analysis. Liquid crystallinity was examined with differential scanning calorimetry measurements and polarizing optical microscopy observations. Liquid crystal domains of the polymer were macroscopically oriented in one direction by an external magnetic force (10 Tesla). The polymer orientation was confirmed by optical microscopy and X‐ray analysis. One of the polymers exhibited a striated fan‐shaped texture when observed with a polarizing optical microscope. This is attributed to the formation of a chiral smectic C (SmC^*) phase, which is a property of ferroelectricity. Spontaneous polarization of the polymer occurred at 110 nC/cm². © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 616–629, 2005     

A novel benzimidazole‐containing phthalonitrile monomer with unique polymerization behavior

A novel benzimidazole‐containing phthalonitrile monomer (BIPN) was synthesized. The chemical structure of BIPN was confirmed by various spectroscopic techniques. Differential scanning calorimetry measurement revealed that the self‐promoted polymerization reaction of the BIPN proceeds extremely sluggish and showed low polymerization exothermic effect. Subsequent rheological measurement displayed that the BIPN was able to keep a stable and low melt viscosity for 4 h at 300 °C, 2 h at 310 °C, and 50 min at 330 °C. The derived BIPN polymers showed excellent thermal properties revealed by thermogravimetric analysis, which were better than those of the corresponding polymer derived from phthalonitrile monomer without benzimidazole moiety. IR analysis confirmed the occurrence of the triazine ring within the polymer crosslinking sites. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Crystallization kinetics of a thermotropic liquid crystalline polyimide derived from 1,3-bis[4-(4′-aminophenoxy) cumyl] benzene

We have studied the nonisothermal and isothermal crystallization kinetics of an aromatic thermotropic liquid crystalline polyimide synthesized from 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PMDA) and 1,3-bis[4-(4′-aminophenoxy) cumyl] benzene (BACB) by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Polarized light microscopy (PLM) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) results confirm that this polyimide exhibits a smectic texture. Nonisothermal crystallization showed two strong and one weak exothermic peaks during cooling. The phase transition from isotropic melt to liquid crystalline state is extremely fast which completes in several seconds. The mesophase transition has a small Avrami parameter, n, of approximate 1. The isothermal crystallization of 253–258°C has been examined. The average value n is about 2.6 and the temperature-dependent rate constant k changes about two orders of magnitude in the crystallization temperature range of 6°C. The slope of ln k versus 1/(T_cΔT) is calculated to be −2.4 × 10⁵, which suggests nucleation control, via primary and/or secondary nucleation for the crystallization process. During the annealing process, a new phase (slow transition) is induced, which grows gradually with annealing time. At lower annealing temperatures (220–230°C), the slow transition process seems not to be influenced by the crystals formed during cooling process and its Avrami parameter n is ca. 0.3–0.4. However, the slow transition was hindered by the crystals formed during cooling process when annealed at higher temperature (230–240°C). © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 1679–1694, 1998     

Stability of chemical sequence in a periodic polymeric nematogen

The stability of a polymeric nematogen's chemical sequence was studied by differential scanning calorimetry, optical microscopy, and ¹³C-NMR; the nematogen studied was a thermotropic polyester and had a periodic chemical structure. Model compounds were used to investigate transesterfication in the melt at different temperatures with the addition of phenol or benzoic acid as analogues of polymer end groups. Ester interchange reactions at high temperature were found to be partly suppressed when acidic end groups of the periodic nematogen were capped. However, sequence reorganization was completely suppressed in capped nematogens when temperatures remained below the isotropization transition of the nematogen investigated. Rapid disordering of the periodic nematogen was observed above the nematic-isotropic transition, suggesting that both chemical and physical factors play a role in sequence redistribution of periodic nematogens. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Solution‐crystallization and related phenomena in 9,9‐dialkyl‐fluorene polymers. II. Influence of side‐chain structure

Solution‐crystallization is studied for two polyfluorene polymers possessing different side‐chain structures. Thermal analysis and temperature‐dependent optical spectroscopy are used to clarify the nature of the crystallization process, while X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy reveal important differences in the resulting microstructures. It is shown that the planar‐zigzag chain conformation termed the β‐phase, which is observed for certain linear‐side‐chain polyfluorenes, is necessary for the formation of so‐called polymer‐solvent compounds for these polymers. Introduction of alternating fluorene repeat units with branched side‐chains prevents formation of the β‐phase conformation and results in non‐solvated, i.e. melt‐crystallization‐type, polymer crystals. Unlike non‐solvated polymer crystals, for which the chain conformation is stabilized by its incorporation into a crystalline lattice, the β‐phase conformation is stabilized by complexation with solvent molecules and, therefore, its formation does not require specific inter‐chain interactions. The presented results clarify the fundamental differences between the β‐phase and other conformational/crystalline forms of polyfluorenes. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 1492–1506     

A kinked unit‐containing thermotropic liquid crystalline copolyester with low glass transition temperature and broad phase transition temperature

A novel phosphorus‐containing thermotropic liquid crystalline copolyester with kinked unit named as poly(hydroxybenzate‐co‐DOPO‐benzenediol dihydrodipheyl ether terephthalate) (PHDDT) was synthesized successfully by melting transesterification from terephthalic acid (TPA), p‐hydroxybenzoic acid (p‐ABH), 2‐(6‐oxid‐6H‐dibenz(c, e) (1,2) oxaphosphorin 6‐yl)1,4‐benzenediol (DOPO‐HQ), and 4,4′‐dihydroxydiphenyl ether (DOP). The chemical structure, the mesophase behavior, and the thermal properties of the copolyesters were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H, ¹³C, and ³¹P NMR), wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, polarizing light microscopy (PLM), differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and dynamic mechanical analysis. Results suggested that PHDDTs exhibited the typical nematic mesophase that occurred at low temperatures and maintained in a broad temperature range from 230 °C to higher than 400 °C, and had low glass transition temperature ranging from 154.5 to 166.9 °C. The novel phosphorus‐containing thermotropic liquid crystalline copolyester will have a potential application in preparing various in situ reinforced polymer materials with excellent mechanical properties and flame retardancy. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 4703–4709, 2009     

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     

Determination of percolation threshold electroactivity and phase behavior study on conducting blends of thermotropic polyesters and polyaniline

The new thermotropic polyester/polyaniline (PIn/PAni) blends have been prepared by solution blend of synthesized liquid crystalline poly[4,4′‐bis (ω‐alkoxy) biphenylisophthalate]s having four and six methylene units in spacer (PI4 and PI6) with PAni doped with camphorsolfonic acid (CSA). The percolation threshold electroactivity of prepared blend films has been determined by cyclic voltammetry. The effect of the PAni concentration, solvent nature and polyester structure on the electroactivity of the blends has been investigated. The extremely low percolation threshold of prepared PIn/PAni‐CSA blends from dimethylformamide (DMF) and m‐cresol solution was 3% weight of PAni‐CSA. The amount of conducting polymer necessary to retard the formation of the liquid crystalline (LC) phase is up to 45% by weight. Phase behavior studies by differential scanning calorimetry and polarizing microscopy show that blends with 45% of conducting polymer are both liquid crystal and conductive. The morphology of the blends has been investigated by scanning electron microscopy. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Observations of crystallization and melting in poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(methyl methacrylate) blends by hot-stage atomic-force microscopy

The binary blend of poly(ethylene oxide)/atactic poly(methyl methacrylate) is examined using hot-stage atomic-force microscopy (AFM) in conjunction with differential scanning calorimetry and optical microscopy. It was found possible to follow in real time the melting process, which reveals itself to be nonuniform. This effect is ascribed to the presence of lamellae having different thicknesses. The crystallization process of poly(ethylene oxide) from the miscible melt is also followed in real time by AFM, affording detailed images of the impingement of adjacent spherulites and direct observation of lamellar growth and subsequent polymer solidification in the interlamellar space.© 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. B Polym. Phys. 36: 2643–2651, 1998     

Structure and formation mechanism of melt‐drawn highly oriented polymer fibers

Well‐separated and parallel aligned fibers of various polymers have been prepared by a simple but effective melt‐drawing procedure, and their structural features have been studied with field‐emission scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the resulting polymer fibers, with diameters ranging from tens of nanometers to hundreds of nanometers, consist of highly oriented lamellar or fibrillar crystals with the molecular chains aligned in the drawing direction. Scanning electron microscopy images of the drawing process indicate that drawing a thin polymer molten layer at temperature far above its melting point leads to the formation of elongated microcracks. The microcracks embedded in the polymer thin film propagate along the drawing direction and result in the formation of polymer microfibers, which split continuously under high instantaneous stresses and produce well‐separated polymer fibers with diameters on the nanometer scale. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2703–2709, 2004     

Synthesis and characterization of 4-cyanobiphenyl-4′-yloxy-functionalized poly(7-oxanorbornene-5,6-exo-dicarboximide)s via ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP)

N-[n-(4-cyanobiphenyl-4′-yloxy)alkyl]-7-oxanorbornene-5,6-exo-dicarboximide ( CBON ₂– CBON ₈) with increasing number of methylene groups in the alkyl part (n = 2–8) were synthesized by Mitsunobu condensation between the appropriate alcohols ( CBA ₂– CBA ₈) and 7-oxanorbornene-5,6-exo-dicarboximide ( ON ). The conditions for the ring opening metathesis polymerization of CBON _n giving acceptable molecular weights and molecular distributions were established. Characterization of the resulting polymers ( P ₂– P ₈) by ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR has shown a high trans content. Differential scanning calorimetry and optical microscopy analysis have shown that the alcohols CBA _n are thermotropic with some variations between the first and second heating-cooling cycles, the monomers CBON _n melt with no evidence of any mesomorphic state, the polymers P _n show only the glass transition, and the glass transition temperature (T_g) decreases with increases in the spacer length. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 2807–2821, 1998     

Poly(arylene sulfide)s by nucleophilic aromatic substitution polymerization of 2,7‐difluorothianthrene

Poly(thianthrene phenylene sulfide) and poly(thianthrene sulfide) have been prepared by nucleophilic aromatic substitution polymerization of the activated monomer 2,7‐difluorothianthrene with bis thiophenoxide and sulfide nucleophiles, respectively. The resulting polymers are thermally stable, amorphous materials that have been characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization‐time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectrometry, UV‐Vis spectroscopy, refractometry, and intrinsic viscosity (IV) measurements. The polymers produced exhibit 5% weight loss values approaching 500 °C in inert and air atmospheres and glass transition temperatures that range from 149 to 210 °C. Poly(thianthrene phenylene sulfide) with a number average molecular weight of 22,100 g/mol has been synthesized with an IV in DMPU of 0.62 dL/g at 30 °C. Creasable films of this polymer have been prepared by solvent casting and melt pressing at 250 °C. Films of poly(thianthrene phenylene sulfide) exhibit transparencies greater than 50% at wavelengths exceeding 400 nm and a high refractive index value of 1.692 at a wavelength of 633 nm, making the polymer interesting for optical applications. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 2453–2461, 2009