Dynamic mechanical behavior of a side-chain liquid crystalline polyacrylate

The phenomenology of the α- and β-relaxation processes in an amorphous and a crystallized specimen of a side-chain LC polyacrylate, based on the azobenzene mesogenic unit, was investigated by thermal and dynamic mechanical methods. The activation energy of the β relaxation of the crystallized sample is equal to that of the amorphous sample. The α-transition process of the amorphous sample was described by the WLF equation. In contrast, the α-relaxation behavior of the amorphous part of the semicrystalline sample was described by a double Arrhenius law broken at T = T_g. This peculiar behavior has been tentatively related to the decrease of the motion characteristic length of the macromolecules confined in the multidomain structure of the semicrystalline state. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Supramolecular hydrogen-bonded liquid–crystalline polymer complexes. Design of side-chain polymers and a host–guest system by noncovalent interaction

Supramolecular liquid–crystalline polymeric complexes based on a backbone that contains vinyl pyridine units and azobenzene or biphenyl derivatives that posses alkyl chains terminated by carboxylic acid have been obtained by the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the carboxylic acid and the pyridyl moieties. The polymeric complexes behave as side-chain liquid–crystalline polymers and exhibit smectic phases. A new type of H-bonded host-guest liquid–crystalline system is also reported. The liquid–crystalline host copolymers contain both mesogenic acrylate and 4-vinylpyridine units. The guest molecule is an azobenzene that has a carboxylic acid moiety at one of its extremities. The H-bonded polymeric host–guest complexes exhibit nematic phases. Sequential UV and visible light irradiation of the polymeric complex causes reversible photochemically induced phase transitions. The isothermal nematic–isotropic and isotropic–nematic transitions result from the trans-cis and cis-trans photoisomerization of the guest azobenzene in the host–guest system. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

甲氧基苯基偶氮衍生物电子结构与二阶NLO性质的HF/FF方法研究

采用量子化学HF方法在6-31G水平上优化6个甲氧基苯基偶氮衍生物分子的几何构型，利用HF／6-31G。方法计算它们的偶极矩、电荷分布、前线分子轨道能级并结合有限场(FF)方法计算二阶非线性光学系数．结果表明，偶氮苯衍生物分子具有很好的共轭性，在给吸电子基团作用下，电荷转移明显，展现示出较强的极性．偶氮苯衍生物分子与苯乙烯、Schiff碱类衍生物相似，也具有很好二阶非线性光学活性，同时六元杂环取代的偶氮苯衍生物分子二阶非线性光学系数比未取代的大，五元杂环取代结果相反．     

Light‐Driven Shape‐Memory Porous Films with Precisely Controlled Dimensions

Shape‐memory polymers (SMPs) are an intriguing class of smart materials possessing reversible shape change and recovery capabilities. Effective routes to shape‐memory porous films (SMPFs) are few and limited in scope owing to the difficulty in manipulating the shape change of pores by conventional methods. Herein we report an unconventional strategy for crafting light‐driven SMPFs by judiciously constructing highly ordered porous films via a facile “breath figure” approach, followed by sequential vapor crosslinking and nondestructive directional light manipulation. Micropores can thus be transformed into other shapes including rectangle, rhombus and size‐reduced micropores at room temperature. The transformed micropores can be reverted to their original shapes by either thermal annealing or UV irradiation. As such, this strategy expands the rich diversity of SMPs accessible.     

Light‐Induced Reversible Reconfiguration of DNA‐Based Constitutional Dynamic Networks: Application to Switchable Catalysis

The light‐induced reversible and cyclic reconfiguration of constitutional dynamic networks, consisting of supramolecular nucleic acid structures as constituents and a photoisomerizable trans/cis‐azobenzene‐functionalized nucleic acid as the trigger is demonstrated. In addition, the cyclic photochemical reconfiguration of the constitutional dynamic networks guides the switchable on/off operation of an emerging hemin/G‐quadruplex DNAzyme.     

A tridentate CNO‐donor palladium(II) complex as efficient catalyst for direct C―H arylation: Application in preparation of imidazole‐based push–pull chromophores

A series of imidazolium chlorides for the formation of tridentate CNO‐donor palladium(II) complexes featuring N‐heterocyclic carbene moieties have been developed from cheap and readily available starting materials with high yields. Their palladium complexes were prepared by reactions between the ligand precursors and PdCl₂ using K₂CO₃ as base in pyridine with reasonable yields. These air‐stable metal complexes were characterized using ¹H NMR and ¹³C{¹H} NMR spectroscopy and elemental analyses. Heteronuclear multiple bond correlation experiments were performed to identify key NMR signals of these compounds. The structures of two of the complexes were also established by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis. One of these complexes was successfully applied in the direct C―H functionalization reactions between heterocyclic compounds and aryl bromides, producing excellent yields of coupled products. The coupling reactions were scalable, allowing grams of coupled products to be obtained with a mere 2 mol% of Pd loading. The catalyst system developed allowed the large‐scale preparation of several push–pull chromophores straightforwardly. Photophysical properties based on UV–visible and fluorescence spectroscopy for these chromophores were investigated. Deep blue photoluminescence with moderate quantum efficiency and twisted intramolecular charge transfer excited state were observed for these chromophores. Density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent DFT calculations were performed to support the experimental results.     

Thermally Twistable,Photobendable, Elastically Deformable,and Self‐Healable Soft Crystals

The first example of a smart crystalline material, the 2:1 cocrystal of probenecid and 4,4′‐azopyridine, which responds reversibly to multiple external stimuli (heat, UV light, and mechanical pressure) by twisting, bending, and elastic deformation without fracture is reported. This material is also able to self‐heal on heating and cooling, thereby overcoming the main setbacks of molecular crystals for future applications as crystal actuators. The photo‐ and thermomechanical effects and self‐healing capabilities of the material are rooted in reversible trans–cis isomerization of the azopyridine unit and crystal‐to‐crystal phase transition. Fairly isotropic intermolecular interactions and interlocked crisscrossed molecular packing secure high elasticity of the crystals.     

Cybotactic nematic phases of photoisomerisable hockey-stick liquid crystals

New five-ring hockey-stick liquid crystalline materials with 4-bromoresorcinol as the central core unit and an azobenzene-based side arm were synthesised and their mesophase behaviour was investigated by polarising optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction and under a triangular wave electric field. Additional structural modification was done by introducing a lateral fluorine atom in the terminal ring of one of the side arms. It is found that regardless of the alkyl chain length or the lateral fluorine substitution, all of the prepared materials are liquid crystalline exhibiting nematic phases composed of cybotactic clusters of the SmC-type (N_CybC) in addition to a monotropic SmC phase for the longest homologue.     

Rectifying effect of heterojunction fabricated in freestanding thin film of polyaniline containing azobenzene side-chain

An innovative heterojunction is fabricated between two sides of a freestanding thin film of HCl-doped polyaniline (PANI) derivative containing azobenzene side-chain, which is synthesized through an N-alkyl-substituted reaction. Of the film, the side with being irradiated by UV light during preparation is represented as `A side'; the other side without being irradiated is represented as `N side'. The electrical properties of the heterojunction are measured and the rectifying effect is observed in the {current--voltage} characteristic curves with the values of rectifying ratio (γ) being 20 at ±0.06 V at T= 77K and 4 at ±0.02V at T=300 K separately.