Use of Aggregation‐Induced Emission for Selective Detection of Phase Transformation during Evaporative Crystallization of Hexaphenylsilole

Crystallization of organic molecules is quite complicated because the crystallization process is governed by weak intermolecular interactions. By exploiting aggregation‐induced emission (AIE), we attempted to realize the selective detection of phase transformation during the evaporative crystallization of hexaphenylsilole (HPS), which shows different fluorescent colors in the amorphous and crystalline phases. No fluorescence emission was observed in the HPS solution immediately after dropping on the glass substrate due to the non‐radiative deactivation induced by intramolecular rotational or vibrational motion, suggesting that HPS exists as a monomer in solution. As time elapsed after dropping, green emission first appeared, which changed to blue after solvent evaporation, because of phase transformation from the amorphous state to the crystalline state. This phenomenon supports not only the two‐step nucleation model involving an intermediate such as a liquid‐like cluster prior to nucleation but also the real‐time detection of Ostwald's rule of stages during evaporative crystallization.     

Noncrystalline phases in poly(9,9-di-n-octyl-2,7-fluorene)

Selective formation of amorphous, nematic (N), and beta phases in poly(9,9-di-n-octyl-2,7-fluorene) (PFO) films was achieved via judicious choice of process parameters. Phase structure and film morphology were carefully examined by means of X-ray diffraction as well as electron microscopy. "Amorphous" thin films were obtained by quick evaporation of solvent. Slow solvent removal during film formation or extended treatment of the amorphous film with solvent vapor resulted in predominantly the beta phase, which corresponds to a frozen (due to decreased segmental mobility upon solvent removal) and intrinsically metastable state of transformation midway between a solvent-induced clathrate phase and the equilibrium crystalline order in the undiluted state. The frozen transformation process is reactivated upon an increase in temperature beyond 100 degrees C. Compared to the amorphous film, extended backbone conjugation in the beta phase is evidenced from the emergence of a characteristic absorption peak around 430 nm near the absorption edge. For films of frozen nematic order (obtained by quenching from the nematic state), the conjugation length is also greater than the amorphous films as revealed by an absorption shoulder around 420 nm. Well-behaved single-chromophore emission with single-mode phonon coupling was observed for the beta phase; in the case of nematic films, dual-mode phonon coupling must exist if single-chromophore emission is assumed. In comparison, the emission spectrum of the amorphous film of generally shorter conjugation lengths exhibited mixed characteristics of nematic and beta phases, implying the presence of minor populations of extended conjugation similar to those in nematic and beta phases, which are of biased weightings in the emission spectra. All these films consist of nanograins (ca. 10 nm in size) of collapsed chains; the films are therefore inherently inhomogeneous in this length scale. In combination with previous observations on the crystalline (alpha and alpha') forms, the phase behavior of PFO is then generally summarized in terms of relative thermodynamic stability.     

Raman study of a liquid crystalline gel consisting of photochromic 4-methyl-N-(4-n-heptyloxysalicylidene)aniline and a gelling agent (R,R')-1,2-bis(dodecanoylamino)cyclohexane

A liquid crystalline physical gel has been prepared from the mixture of a nematic liquid crystal and a low molecular mass gelling agent containing a hydrogen-bonding moiety. The newly synthesized liquid crystalline compound exhibited photochromism in the crystalline solid phase. Although photochromism was not observed in the nematic gel state of the mixture, the lifetime of photochromism in the solid phase became longer, compared with that of a single liquid crystalline compound. Some Raman bands of the mixture showed a marked change in both intensity and frequency through the phase transitions. These bands have been assigned to the vibrational modes related to the core part of molecule.     

Raman study of a liquid crystalline gel consisting of photochromic 4‐methyl‐N‐(4‐n‐heptyloxysalicylidene)aniline and a gelling agent (R,R′)‐1,2‐bis(dodecanoylamino)cyclohexane

A liquid crystalline physical gel has been prepared from the mixture of a nematic liquid crystal and a low molecular mass gelling agent containing a hydrogen‐bonding moiety. The newly synthesized liquid crystalline compound exhibited photochromism in the crystalline solid phase. Although photochromism was not observed in the nematic gel state of the mixture, the lifetime of photochromism in the solid phase became longer, compared with that of a single liquid crystalline compound. Some Raman bands of the mixture showed a marked change in both intensity and frequency through the phase transitions. These bands have been assigned to the vibrational modes related to the core part of molecule.     

Thermoplastic polymer‐dispersed liquid crystals prepared from solvent‐induced phase separation with predictions using solubility parameters

The optical effects of liquid crystals can be realized when the mesogens are dispersed in a supporting and stabilizing polymer phase. Thermoplastics were chosen for their structural reversibility and ease of fabrication of polymer‐dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs) from solution via solvent‐induced phase separation (SIPS). The component match and tuning in PDLCs was achieved in a common solvent through predictions of solubility parameters. The PDLCs were first prepared using SIPS and were then exposed to thermal treatments on a hot stage polarizing microscope or in a differential scanning calorimeter. At elevated temperatures the polymer and mesogen may become miscible, while upon cooling thermally induced phase separation (TIPS) should occur, preferably above the isotropic–nematic transition temperature. The nematic phase existed within disperse phase droplets that were stabilized and supported by the matrix polymer. The temperature range of the nematic phase was extended in the PDLC configuration. The droplet size was important for liquid crystalline optical behaviour. Polymer–mesogen interactions, identified through solubility parameters, were important in ensuring sufficient but not coarse phase separation.     

Molecular Dynamic Simulation of Side-Chain Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Under Load

Summary: We present a molecular dynamic simulation of a side chain liquid crystalline elastomer (LCE) under load. The LCE is composed of a flexible tetrafunctional diamond like network with rod-like mesogens attached to the network. As a precursor of the LC elastomer a flexible polymer network in a low molecular liquid-crystal (LC) solvent was used. The phase behavior of the LCE under uniaxial stretching up to the deformations of λ = 1.5 and 2.0 at different densities was studied. As in the non-stretched case upon density increase an isotropic to nematic phase transition occurs. However, in contrast to thermotropic side chain LC elastomers the stress induced shift transition is not observed. The stretching slightly increases the anisotropy of translational diffusion of mesogens in the nematic state. The stress-strain dependence for LCE both in the isotropic and the nematic states is obtained. Elastic modulus increases at high values of order parameter.     

Morphology of spinodal decompositions in liquid crystal-colloid mixtures

We study the morphology of spinodal decompositions (SDs) in mixtures of a liquid crystal and a colloidal particle by solving time-dependent Landau-Ginzburg equations for a conserved order parameter (concentration) and two nonconserved order parameters (orientation and crystallization). We numerically examine the coupling between concentration, nematic ordering, and crystalline ordering in two dimensional fluid mixtures, coexisting a nematic and a crystalline phase. On increasing the concentration of colloidal particles, we have three different SDs: a nematic order-induced SD, a phase-separation-induced SD (PSD), and a crystalline-order-induced SD (CSD). In NSD, the phase ordering can lead to fibrillar and cellular networks of the minority colloidal-particle-rich phase in early stages. In the PSD, we find a bicontinuous network structure consisting of a nematic phase rich in liquid crystal and a crystalline phase rich in colloidal particles. In the CSD, nematic droplets can be formed in a crystalline matrix. Asymmetric mixtures of a liquid crystal and a colloidal particle lead to rich varieties of morphologies.     

Morphology development of main‐chain liquid crystalline polymer fibers during solvent evaporation

A nonequilibrium thermodynamic approach has been developed for describing the emergence of fiber morphologies from a liquid crystalline polymer solution undergoing solvent evaporation, including fibrillar structures, concentric rings, and spiral structures. We utilized Matsuyama–Kato free energy for main‐chain liquid crystalline polymer (MCLCP) solutions, which is an extension of Maier–Saupe theory for nematic ordering and incorporates a chain‐stiffening, combined with Flory‐Huggins free energy of mixing. Temporal evolution of the concentration and nematic order parameters pertaining to the above free energy density of liquid crystalline polymer solution was simulated in the context of time‐dependent Ginzburg–Landau theory coupled with the solvent evaporation rate equation under the quasi‐steady state assumption. The emerged morphological patterns are discussed in relation to the phase diagram of the MCLCP solution and the rate of solvent evaporation. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 429–435, 2007     

Molecular dynamics simulation study on the phase behavior of the Gay-Berne model with a terminal dipole and a flexible tail

To study the effect of the alkyl tail and the terminal dipole on the stability of the liquid crystalline phase of mesogens, we have carried out molecular dynamics simulations for 1CB(4-methyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl) and 5CB(4-n-pentyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl) by using a coarse-grained model. In the coarse-grained model, a 5CB molecule is divided into the rigid part of 1CB moiety, which is represented by an ellipsoid, and the remaining flexible part which is represented by a chain of united atoms. The nonbonded potential between coarse-grained segments is represented by the generalized Gay-Berne (GB) potential and the potential parameters are determined by directly comparing the GB potential with the atomistic potentials averaged over the rotation of the mesogen around its axis. In addition, a dipole moment is placed at one end of the ellipsoid opposite to the flexible tail. The ordered state obtained in the polar 5CB model was assigned as the nematic phase, and the experimental static and dynamical properties were reproduced well by using this coarse-grained model. Both the dipole-dipole interactions and the thermal fluctuation of the flexible tail increase the positional disorder in the director direction, and stabilize the nematic phase. Thus, the nematic phase in the polar 5CB is induced by a cooperative effect of the flexible tail and the terminal dipole. It is noted that a local bilayer structure with head-to-head association is formed in the nematic phase, as experimentally observed by x-ray diffraction measurements.     

Study of Field Induced Transition (FiT) and Analysis of Crystallization Kinetics in the Nematic Phase of an Interhydrogen Bonded Nanoliquid Crytsal

An interhydrogen bonded liquid crystal with complementary hydrogen bonding between succenic acid (SA) and pentyloxy benzoic acid (5OBA) referred as SA + 5OBA has been synthesized and characterized. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) are dispersed in SA + 5OBA and the resultant complex is referred as SA + 5OBA+MWCNT. Both complexes exhibit liquid crystallinity with the presence of nematic phase. FTIR and NMR studies confirms the formation of the interhydrogen bonds. Transition temperatures and enthalpy values are obtained by DSC studies. Considerable hyteresis in dielectric permittivity has been observed in SA + 5OBA + MWCNT, which enable it to be used in device applications. An interesting observation in SA + 5OB A + MWCNT complexes is the field induced transition (FiT) in nematic phase, which is studied by conductance, permittivity, and helicoidal structure deformations. This complex can be used in light modulation applications. The liquid crystalline behavior together with the rate of crystallization in nematic phase of pure and MWCNT dispersed hydrogen bonded complex are discussed in relation to the kinetophase (which occurs prior to the crystallization). The molecular mechanism and dimensionality in the crystal growth are computed from the Avrami equation. The characteristic crystallization time (t*) at each crystallization temperature is deduced from the individual plots of log t and ΔH. The influence of MWCNT on crystallization kinetics in the nematic phase of an interhydrogen bonded liquid crystal is discussed.     

聚苯撑苯并二噻唑的甲基磺酸溶液的相转变过程及其动力学研究

用退偏振光强度法及偏光显微镜研究了溶致性液晶高分子聚苯撑苯并二噻唑的甲基磺酸溶液(PBT/MSA)由液晶相至各向同性相(N→I转变),及由各向同性相至液晶相(I→N转变)的相变过程.液晶相的形成(I→N)服从Av-rami方程,Avrami指数为1左右,表明该体系的液晶相是以一维棒状方式形成的.相转变温度与浓度有关,提高温度可加速在应力下液晶相长程有序结构的形成.     

聚苯撑苯并二噻唑的甲基磺酸溶液的相转变过程及其动力学研究

 用退偏振光强度法及偏光显微镜研究了溶致性液晶高分子聚苯撑苯并二噻唑的甲基磺酸溶液(PBT/MSA)由液晶相至各向同性相(N→I转变),及由各向同性相至液晶相(I→N转变)的相变过程.液晶相的形成(I→N)服从Av-rami方程,Avrami指数为1左右,表明该体系的液晶相是以一维棒状方式形成的.相转变温度与浓度有关,提高温度可加速在应力下液晶相长程有序结构的形成.     

Induced circular dichroism as a probe of handedness in chiral nematic polymer solutions

Achiral dyes in isotropic (acetyl)(ethyl)cellulose (AEC) solutions display no induced CD signals irrespective of acetyl content, polymer concentration or dye content. When dissolved in anisotropic AEC solutions, the dye molecules show strong induced CD bands that disappear when the phases are heated above the anisotropic/isotropic phase transition temperature. The liquid crystal induced circular dichroism (LCICD) spectra for the dyes in a series of well-characterized AEC mesophases, whose handedness depends on solvent and acetyl content, reveal that the sign of the LCICD signal is determined by the supramolecular structural features of the host matrices. Thus, acridine orange (AO) dissolved in a left-handed liquid crystalline AEC solution displays a negative LCICD whereas a positive LCICD was observed when the AO is dissolved in a right-handed AEC mesophase. The sign and intensity of the LCICD signals change with acetyl degree of substitution, solvent and temperature. In all cases, changes in sign of the CD peak correlated with changes in handedness of the chiral nematic structure, and the intensity of the CD peak increased with increasing chiral nematic pitch for a given solvent and polymer concentration. Induced circular dichroism is thus a useful probe of chiral nematic structure in these systems.     

Enantiotropic Nematics From Cross‐Like 1,2,4,5‐Tetrakis(4′‐alkyl‐4‐ethynylbiphenyl)benzenes and Their Biaxiality Studies

The theoretically predicted optimum length/breadth/width ratio for maximizing shape biaxiality was investigated experimentally by the facile and successful synthesis of cross‐shaped compound 3 , which showed enantiomeric nematic phase behavior. This cross‐like core structure could alternatively be viewed as two fused V‐shaped mesogens, which have recently immerged as a new direction in biaxial nematic research, at the bending tips that can act as a new structure for biaxial investigations. Whilst the thermal analysis data of compound 3 did not meet the expected theoretical values for biaxial nematics, surface‐induced biaxiality was evidenced by optical studies. Cluster‐size analysis within the nematic phase of compound 3 revealed the formation of meta‐cybotactic nematics, which approached the cluster sizes of cybotactic nematics. The split small‐angle 2D X‐ray diffraction patterns of magnetic‐field‐aligned samples indicated that the nematic phase was composed of small smectic C‐like clusters with the tilting of molecules within the clusters. The wide‐temperature‐range enantiomeric nematic phase of cross‐like compound 3 enabled the molecular skeleton to serve as an alternative skeleton to bent‐rod mesogens, which exhibited nematic phases with the potential competition of transitions to higher‐order liquid‐crystalline phases and crystallization, for future biaxial investigations.     

Controlled self-assembly of chiral gelator molecules into aligned fibers induced by nematic to smectic B phase transitions

Chiral bisoxalamide 1 shows remarkable gelling capacity of the nematic and smectic B liquid-crystalline phases of heptylcyclohexanecarboxylic acid (HCCA). Chiral nematic-containing left-handed helical fiber bundles are formed if the gelator is present in amounts higher than 0.55 wt %. With lower amounts of 1, no nematic gel forms, however, a nematic to smectic B phase transition triggers instantaneous self-assembly of gelator molecules into aligned fibers. The latter liquid crystalline gel system represents an example of controlled self-assembly induced by a liquid crystalline phase transition.     

Phase separations in liquid crystal-colloid mixtures

We present a mean-field theory to describe phase separations in mixtures of a nematic liquid crystal and a colloidal particle. The theory takes into account an orientational ordering of liquid crystals and a crystalline ordering of colloidal particles. We calculate phase diagrams on the temperature-concentration plane, depending on interactions between a liquid crystal and a colloidal surface and a coupling between nematic and crystalline ordering. We find various phase separation processes, such as a nematic-crystal phase separation and nematic-isotropic-crystal triple point. Inside binodal curves, we find new unstable and metastable regions which are important in phase ordering dynamics. We also find a stable nematic-crystalline (NC) phase, where colloidal particles dispersed in a nematic phase can form a crystalline structure. The coexistence between two NC phases with different concentrations can be appear though the coupling between nematic and crystalline ordering.     

Morphology of polymer networks polymerized in highly ordered liquid crystalline phases

The morphology and optical properties of polymer stabilized liquid crystals formed in a more highly ordered low molecular weight liquid crystal solvent were studied. Tetrafunctional, mesogenic monomers (with and without flexible spacers) were polymerized in isotropic, nematic and smectic phases of the LC solvent (4′-octyl-4-cyanobiphenyl) and studied with scanning electron microscopy and cross-polarized light microscopy. The network morphology of the nematic and isotropic phase polymerizations showed strong similarities with the corresponding polymerizations in other solvents. Polymerization in the smectic phase, however, resulted in marked increases in network order and directionality. Most dramatically, even the polymer without flexible spacer formed a fibrous network of rodlike units, in contrast to the random, beaded texture formed by the same polymer in nematic or isotropic conditions. Correspondingly, a large increase in birefringence demonstrated significant polymer orientation and more effective orientational interaction with the liquid crystalline solvent.     

Rigid rod molecules as liquid crystal thermosets. II. Rigid rod esters

Nine rigid rod ester monomers endcapped with maleimide, nadimide, and methylnadimide groups were prepared and studied by DSC and hot stage polarized light microscopy. All of the monomers showed thermotropic nematic liquid crystalline phases and could be thermally crosslinked in the nematic phase. The nematic texture was maintained in the crosslinked solid state. The nematic phase range was enlarged by B-staging the monomeric compounds. Heating the monomers for a short period of time in the nematic phase lowered the crystal to nematic transition temperatures and increased the nematic to isotropic transition temperatures. A nonequilibrium phase diagram was proposed to explain the melting behavior of these reactive liquid crystal thermoset materials.     

Precrystalline Aggregates Enable Control over Organic Crystallization in Solution

Understanding and controlling organic crystallization in solution is a long‐standing challenge. Herein, we show that crystallization of an aromatic amphiphile based on perylene diimide in aqueous media involves initially formed amorphous spherical aggregates that evolve into the crystalline phase. The initial appearance of the crystalline order is always confined to the spherical aggregates that are precursors for crystalline evolution. The change in the solvation of the prenucleation phase drives the crystallization process towards crystals that exhibit very different structure and photofunction. The initial molecular structure and subsequent crystal evolution can be regulated by tuning the hydrophobicity at various stages of crystallization, affording dissimilar crystalline products or hindering crystallization. Thus, the key role of the precrystalline states in organic crystal evolution enables a new strategy to control crystallization by precrystalline state manipulation.