STUDIES ON THERMOTROPIC LIQUID CRYSTALLINE COPOLYESTERS:POLY (ARYLENE TEREPHTHALATECO-HEXAMETHYLENE TEREFHTHALATE)

A series of copolyesters based on terephthaloyl chloride, hexamethylene glycol and hydroquinone or chlorohydroquinone were prepared. The copolymers showed composition-dependent liquid crystalline properties as verified by visual observation of stir-opalescence, polarizing microscope and DSC. The copolyesters with aromatic diol contents over a certain extent (x≥0.2) were thermotropic with wide liquid crystalline temperature ranges. Comparing with the copolyesters based on butylene glycol or ethylene glycol, the minimum fraction of aromatic diol (x value) used to get the liquid crystallinity for all these copolyesters is around 0.2 regardless of the chain lengths of aliphatic glycols. ~1H-NMP studies revealed that copolyesters have microstructure of block sequence distribution and the mesogenie segments shorter than triad with three phenyl nuclei will not provide the liquid crystallinity.     

PREPARATION OF LIQUID CRYSTALLINE COPOLYESTERS WITH SPACERS BASED ON BISPHENOL-A,BISPHENOL-S OR POLYSULFONE BY DIRECT POLYCONDENSATION

Four series of copolyesters were synthesized by direct polycondonsation reaction between aromatic dicarboxylic acids and bisphenols by using tosyi chloride and N, N-dimethylformamide ( DMF ) in pyridine under mild conditions. The electron-rich hydroxyl groups of bisphenols favoured the polycondensation reaction and the order of relative reactivities of bisphenols is as follow:bisphenoI-A> hydroquinone ～bisphenol-S> chlorohydroquinone. The mesomorphic properties of copolyesters were examined by birefringence under polarizing microscope, melt transparency. DSC and X-ray diffraction. The minimum molar fraction of mesogenic units needed for the appearance of liquid crystallinity is not higher than 0. 1 despite of the different varieties and lengths of the spacers studied.