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     

Unique viscoelastic behaviors of colloidal nanocrystalline cellulose aqueous suspensions

Unique rheological and phase behaviors of rod-like nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) suspensions in aqueous media are revealed in the present article. Specifically, the NCC aqueous suspension remained isotropic in a wide NCC concentration range in which the suspension underwent transition from dilute solution to gel, and the relative viscosity of the NCC suspension could be well fitted by the Sato-Teramoto theory in the full concentration range tested. Correspondingly, both zero-shear viscosity and complex viscosity increased monotonically with NCC concentration, and no maximum value was observed along the curves of zero-shear viscosity or complex viscosity versus NCC concentration, indicating a deviation from the lyotropic system. However, a shear-induced birefringence phenomenon was observed, indicating the NCC suspension formed a temporary ordered structure in the external force field but was unable to form an anisotropic (liquid crystalline) phase. The Cox-Merz rule was not applicable for the NCC suspension as a result of oriented domains, i.e., rod-like NCC particles. Moreover, time-concentration superposition was successfully applied to both the storage and loss modulus, attributed to the isotropic feature of the NCC suspension in the tested concentration range. The reason why this NCC suspension remained isotropic could be because of the strong electrostatic repulsions between NCC particles and the weak tendency or driving force of anisotropy formation as a result of the small aspect ratio of NCC particles, Na⁺ counterions and large amounts of negative charges along the NCC particles. The results suggested that not all the rod-like particles were able to form an anisotropic phase in aqueous suspension, but dominated by various factors.     

氰乙基纤维素溶致性液晶的研究

氰乙基纤维素在二甲基甲酰胺、二甲基乙酰胺、二甲基亚砜、乙腈以及丙酮等溶剂中可以形成溶致性液晶。随浓度增加,溶液从各向同性状态经两相共存态转变成为完全的液晶态。升高温度到T_c,液晶相消失;降低温度到T′_c,液晶相再生成。T_c总大于T′_c。而且,浓度越高,过冷温度△T=T_c—T′_c越小。在各向同性,两相共存或完全的液晶状态,溶液平均折射率和消光度均与浓度呈线性关系。但在两相间相互转变时,即在C_1~*和C_2~*处,n-C和 A-C 曲线上出现转折点。高聚物与溶剂的相互作用参数X_(12)愈小,临界浓度C_1~*愈小。把描述大分子链柔顺性的参数f与X_(12)联系起来,可用 1956年 Flory的理论定性地解释溶剂对高聚物溶致性液晶形成的影响。     

Comparing microcrystalline with spherical nanocrystalline cellulose from waste cotton fabrics

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and spherical nanocrystalline cellulose (SNCC) were successfully prepared from waste cotton fabrics through acid hydrolysis. The comparative analysis of the morphology and structure between the obtained MCC and SNCC was carried out. The SNCC suspension exhibited higher stability than the MCC suspension. Transmission electron microscopy in combination with atomic force microscopy showed that the cellulose nanospheres with average size of 35?nm were achieved, while the average particle size of MCC was 49?μm. The MCC and SNCC had similar functional groups and crystalline structure as confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis, respectively. Viscometric average molecular weight measurement and thermo gravimetric analysis indicated that the degree of polymerization and thermal stability of SNCC was lower than that of MCC. These results should improve understanding of the characteristics of MCC and SNCC derived from waste cotton fabrics and lead to many new applications.     

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.     

氰乙基纤维素/二甲基乙酰胺液晶溶液的研究

本文利用Abbe折射仪,热台偏光显微镜,小角光散射等方法研究了氰乙基纤维素/二甲基乙酰胺液晶溶液的形成,形态结构和某些性质。溶液随浓度的增加,从各向同性态经过两相共存状态,转变成为单一的液晶态。该液晶是胆甾型的。溶液的双折射Δn随浓度的增加或温度的降低而增大。在无外力作用时,液晶相由许多无规分布的取向微区组成。液晶溶液受切应力后形成“条纹结构”,大分子链沿切应力方向取向,并在各条纹中排列有序。     

Effect of microcrystallite preparation conditions on the formation of colloid crystals of cellulose

Stable colloidal suspensions of cellulose microcrystallites may be prepared from filter paper by sulfuric acid hydrolysis. Above a critical concentration, the suspensions form a chiral nematic ordered phase, or colloid crystal. The preparation conditions govern the properties of the individual cellulose microcrystallites, and hence the liquid crystalline phase separation of the cellulose suspensions. The particle properties and the phase separation of the suspensions were strongly dependent on the hydrolysis temperature and time, and on the intensity of the ultrasonic irradiation used to disperse the particles. The particle size of the microcrystallites was characterized with transmission electron microscopy and photon correlation spectroscopy. The surface charge was determined by conductometric titration. It was possible to fractionate the microcrystallites by size using the partitioning between isotropic and liquid crystalline phases; the longer microcrystallites migrate to the liquid crystalline phase     

REFRACTOMETRY AND TEXTURES OF METHYL-CYANOETHYL CELLULOSE/DICHLOROACETIC ACID LIQUID CRYSTA LLI NE SOLUTIONS~+

An Abbe refractometer with a rotatable polarizer mounted on the eyepiece is used for determining the two principal refractive indices of methyl-cyanoethyl cellulose/dichloroacetic acid liquid crystalline solutions. The critical concentration where the mesophase appears can be determined according to the variation of the increment of the refractive index with the concentration. Mesophase textures of the liquid crystalline solutions are observed and the influence of the concentration on mesophase textures is also discussed.     

全芳香族热致液晶聚合物与热塑性树脂聚砜的原位复合材料

用自制的四种全芳香族热致液晶聚合物ＢＰ ＬＣＰ、ＢＰＭ ＬＣＰ、ＢＰＡ ＬＣＰ、ＢＰＳ ＬＣＰ与热塑性树脂聚砜（ＰＳＦ）熔融共混，制备了一系列原位复合材料．研究了所得材料的微观形态、热性能、力学性能等，结果显示：四种液晶聚合物中，ＢＰ ＬＣＰ，ＢＰＳ ＬＣＰ在所用加工条件下可在ＰＳＦ中取向成纤，而且这两种共混物断面上存在皮 核效应；ＢＰＭ ＬＣＰ和ＢＰＡ ＬＣＰ未成纤，均以球状存在于ＰＳＦ中．这四种液晶聚合物与ＰＳＦ的相容性较差，各共混物的Ｔｇ均分别接近于二纯组分的Ｔｇ值，ＳＥＭ照片上明显的相界面也能说明以上问题．液晶聚合物对ＰＳＦ有增强作用，但增强效果不很显著，这可能是二者相容性较差所致     

TEXTURES OF ETHYL-ACETYL CELLULOSE MESOPHASE

There was phase separation between the anisotropic and isotropic phases in the ethyl-acetyl cellulose/dichloroacetic acid cholesteric liquid crystalline solutions .The textures of mesophase varied with the concentration. The mesophases could form the disc-like texture, oily streaks texture and texture of domains gathered randomly. In the first two textures the layers of the ordered molecular chain were perpendicular to the slide surface and the axes of the helical structure were parallel to the slide surface.     

Preparation of highly exfoliated epoxy/clay nanocomposites by clay grafted with liquid crystalline epoxy

Epoxy/clay nanocomposites with a high degree of exfoliation were achieved by intercalating liquid crystalline epoxy into clay intragallery as well as using a so-called ‘solution compounding’ process. In this process, clay modified was first treated with trichloromethane to form organoclay-trichloromethane suspension followed by liquid crystalline epoxy modification. The liquid crystalline epoxy grafted clay was then mixed extensively with epoxy to form epoxy/nanoclay composites. The mechanism of exfoliation was explored by monitoring the change of morphology of organoclay during each stage of processing with X-ray diffraction (XRD). The liquid crystalline epoxy grafted clay synthesised was characterised by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and polarising optical microscopy (POM). The clay platelets uniformly dispersed and highly exfoliated in the whole epoxy matrix were observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and FT-IR imaging system. The epoxy nanocomposites were fabricated by incorporating different liquid crystalline epoxy grafted clay loading. The results revealed that the incorporation of liquid crystalline epoxy grafted clay resulted in a significant improvement in glass transition temperature (Tg) derived from dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and thermal stability measured by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).     

新型液晶材料细菌纤维素苯甲酸酯的合成与表征

以细菌纤维素（BC）为原料,通过酯化反应制备了细菌纤维素苯甲酸酯（BBC）．用红外（FT-IR）表征了产物结构,并且通过DSC、POM和WAXD研究了产物的热致液晶织构及其性能．从DSC和POM研究得知,细菌纤维素苯甲酸酯在281．7℃-356．3℃之间可以形成近晶型液晶相．     

Gelation of cellulose nanocrystal suspensions in glycerol

Aqueous suspensions of cellulose nanocrystals (NCC) produced by sulfuric acid hydrolysis of natural cellulose fibres display a number of unique properties. In addition to forming equilibrium chiral nematic phases above some critical concentration, cellulose nanocrystal suspensions tend to gel or aggregate if the stability of the suspension decreases, for example because of a decrease in the surface charge density of sulfate ester groups, or a change in the properties of the suspending medium. Direct incorporation of unmodified nanocrystals into organic media usually leads to aggregation. We have found that it is possible to circumvent this difficulty and form clear thixotropic gels of unmodified NCC in glycerol, by careful evaporation of water from aqueous glycerol suspensions of NCC. The physical gels form at a fairly low (<3 wt%) concentrations of cellulose. The initial composition of the suspension, the temperature and rate of evaporation, and the time resting at room temperature all influence the formation of thixotropic gels. Desulfation of the acid-form nanocrystals, enhanced in the glycerol-rich suspensions, is shown to be a key step in this gelation process.     

Lyotropic mesophase of cellulose in ammonia/ammonium thiocyanate solution

Solutions of cellulose in a mixture of 27:73 (w/w) of liquid ammonia and ammonium thiocyanate become liquid crystalline at room temperature above a certain critical concentration which depends on the degree of polymerization of the dissolved cellulose. The high optical rotations of the solution suggest that the cellulose mesophase is cholesteric in nature. In the two-phase region, the cellulose solutions exhibit negatively birefringent spherulites that possess both ringed and nonringed internal structures. The anisotropic solutions can be oriented by shear, indicating high potential for spinning them into useful fibers.     

Morphological characteristics of the lyotropic and gel phases in the cellulose/NH3/NH4SCN system

Solutions of cellulose in the ammonia/ammonium thiocyanate (24.5/75.5 w/w) solvent form several stable phases. Of particular interest in this work are the temperature-dependent liquid crystalline and gel phases which are stable at cellulose concentrations above 6% w/v. While the temperature-composition conditions yielding these phases are reasonably well established, very little is currently known about the morphological characteristics of lyotropic and gelled cellulose. Polarized light microscopy is employed here to demonstrate that solutions at temperatures above the gel melting point are birefringent, composed of liquid crystals. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy has been used to (i) examine the three-dimensional network in cellulose gels, and (ii) correlate network morphology with cellulose molecular weight and solution concentration. Results obtained from two complementary sample preparation techniques (i.e., critical point drying and freeze drying) are compared to identify and minimize artifacts, and reveal that gel formation occurs as the solutions phase-separate into polymer-rich anisotropic and solvent-rich isotropic phases. The polymer-rich phase is highly interconnected and forms a fibrillar network, with fibrils measuring 20–70 nm in diameter. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Macromolecular cholesteric order observed by electron microscopy

The macromolecular cholesteric structure in the ethyl-cyanoethyl cellulose [(E-CE)C]/acrylic acid [AA] cholesteric liquid crystalline solutions is studied by directly observing the morphology and structure of the ethyl-cyanoethyl cellulose [(E-CE)C]/polyacrylic acid [PAA] using electron microscopy. A periodical lamellar structure is observed in ultrathin slices of the composites with cholesteric order by both transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and low-voltage scanning electron microscopy (LVSEM). It is suggested that the periodical lamellar structure is induced by the twist of the molecular orientation in the cholesteric phase and reflects the structural features of the macromolecular cholesteric phase. The macromolecular cholesteric phase exhibits the twisted ring morphology in the initial stage of the formation of the liquid crystalline phase. The swelling of the ultrathin slices with cholesteric order in water is heterogeneous, which suggests the tight packing of the (E-CE)C chains in the direction of the helix axis in the macromolecular cholesteric phase. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 439–445, 1998     

The effect of water-soluble polymers on the stability and rheological properties of suspensions of fibrous activated charcoal

The stability and rheological characteristics of polymer-containing aqueous suspensions of fibrous activated charcoal are determined. It is shown that the improved stability of suspensions is observed in the presence of carboxymethyl cellulose, oxypropyl methyl cellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, and a new water-soluble cellulose derivative, whereas the presence of polyacrylamide, poly(acrylic acid), poly(vinyl alcohol), and starch leads to the formation of unstable suspensions having a broad particle size distribution. A correlation between the concentration of dispersed-phase particles corresponding to the transition to non-Newtonian flow and the characteristics of suspension stability (such as the rate of sedimentation, the volume of the sediment, and the particle size distribution) is established. It is suggested that the high degree of charcoal particle surface hydrophilization by polyvinylpyrrolidone and by the water-soluble cellulose derivative is mainly responsible for the stability of the modified suspensions.     

Mesomorphic solutions of cellulose triacetate in halogenated organic acids and mixtures of trifluoroacetic acid and dichloromethane

Cellulose triacetate (CTA) forms liquid-crystalline solutions in trifluoroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, and mixtures of trifluoroacetic acid and dichloromethane. Brilliant iridescent coloration, high optical rotations, and birefringent regions with swirl-like fingerprint patterns suggested the formation of cholesteric liquid crystals. Trifluoroacetic acid–dichloromethane is a particularly excellent solvent mixture to form liquid-crystal solutions of cellulose acetate. Crude bulk viscosity measurements confirm the formation of an anisotropic phase, and the temperature dependence of the critical concentration for formation of the anisotropic phase, obtained by bulk viscosity measurements at various temperatures, provides confirming evidence. Viscosity decreases with aging, suggesting that CTA is slowly degraded in the solvents studied. This is also confirmed by optical rotatory measurements and by polarizing microscope observations. The miscibility gap is observed as a function of molecular weight, and the differences between the experimental data and Flory's prediction are discussed.     

Coagulation and stabilization of sterically functionalized magnetite nanoparticles in an organic solvent with different technical polymers

Single crystalline zinc tin oxide (ZTO) nanocrystallites were prepared at room temperature through association with a peptide-containing bolaamphiphile molecule. The bolaamphiphile molecules self-assembled to form spherical structures with creation of ZTO nanocrystallites inside. ZTO nanocrystallite synthesis was achieved only when the bolaamphiphile molecule was present, while a mixture of amorphous Sn and Zn precipitates was formed in the absence of the bolaamphiphile molecule. The bolaamphiphile molecule is thought to stabilize the Zn(2+) and Sn(4+) precursor ions by ligation and to induce subsequent condensation forming crystalline ZTO. The ZTO formation was achieved only at a strong acidic condition that promotes dissociation and ionization of Zn and Sn precursors and represses formation of ZnO and H(2)SnO(3). The prepared ZTO nanocrystallites had almost the same band gap energy as ZTO nanoparticles prepared by the conventional hydrothermal process. The outcomes of this study indicate that the controlled mineralization of metal precursor ions in a peptide-containing bolaamphiphile molecule suspension can be an alternative method to synthesize metal oxides at room temperature, while maintaining their crystalline structure and optoelectrical properties.