Alternating Diene Metathesis Polycondensation (ALTMET) – A Versatile Tool for the Preparation of Perfectly Alternating AB Copolymers

Perfectly alternating copolymers can be synthesised by reacting diacrylates with terminal dienes using alternating diene metathesis polycondensation (ALTMET). This novel method is very versatile and allows preparation of diverse structures of polymers, including main‐chain liquid crystalline polymers.

Main‐chain liquid crystalline polymer obtained by ALTMET.     

Synthesis and crystal structures of the triphenylstannyl esters of N-phthaloyl-glycine and -leucine

Triphenyltin N-phthaloylglycinate crystallizes from ethanol as a bridged, cyclic hexamer (rhombohedral R3 space group, a = 19.928(3) Å, α = 116.47(2)⁰; Z = 6) and triphenyltin N-phthaloylleucinate as a monomeric molecule (orthorhombic Pbca space group, a = 18.032(6), b = 26.992(7), c = 11.705(4) Å; Z = 8).     

Polymerizable Ester-Type Banana Liquid Crystals: A Comparative Study of Mesophase Behavior

Two families of ester-type banana monomers are presented, 1,3-phenylene bis{4-[4′-(10-undecenyloxy)benzoyloxy]benzoate}s and 1,3-phenylene bis{[4′-(10-undecenyloxy)]-1,1′-biphenyl-4-carboxylate}s, in which the nature of the substituents on the central phenyl ring and the side arms was varied. The mesophase behavior of the monomers, including B₂ and B₇ phases, was correlated with their chemical structure and was compared with that of analogous azomethine-type banana mesogens. It is also shown that the banana monomers can be incorporated into new architectures of liquid crystal polymers.     

New Architecture of Liquid‐Crystalline Polymers from Fluorinated Vinylcyclopropanes

A new class of fluorinated polymers was prepared by radical ring‐opening homopolymerization of vinylcyclopropane monomers with a perfluorinated (CF₂)_nF chain (n = 6, 8, or 10). The polymers were in fact copolymers composed of 1,5‐linear and cyclobutane isomer units, the relative content of which depended on n. Surprisingly, they formed liquid‐crystalline mesophases (SmB_d and/or SmA_d), which was attributed to phase separation of the incompatible fluorocarbon and hydrocarbon components of the repeat unit.     

Thick Coating and Functionalization of Organic Surfaces via ATRP in Water

Atom‐transfer radical polymerization has been used for polymerizing water‐soluble monomers from solid polymeric particles, intended as a model for any polymeric functional surface. Depending on the polarity of substrate and solvent, homogeneous initiation throughout the particles or pure surface initiation could be obtained. In the last case, polymer layers were obtained with thicknesses up to several tens of microns, still active for block copolymerization.