Functional polymers and sequential copolymers by phase-transfer catalysis. 16. Influence of sequence distribution on the mesomorphic properties of thermotropic copolyethers containing 4,4′-dihydroxybiphenyl

Random and alternating thermotropic liquid-crystalline copolyethers have been synthesized from 4,4′-dihydroxybiphenyl and a 1/1 mol ratio of 1,5-dibromopentane and α,ω-dibromoalkanes by a two-phase (organic solvent-aqueous NaOH) phase-transfer-catalyzed polyetherification. Random copolyethers were prepared from α,ω-dibromoalkanes having six to twelve methylene units. Their phase behavior was compared with those of the perfectly alternating copolyethers containing five methylene units in one spacer and eight, nine, or eleven methylene units in the other, respectively. An odd-even dependence in thermal transitions has been observed in both oligomeric systems. In all cases, alternating copolyethers, even though comparatively lower in molecular weight, have given rise to higher melting and isotropization temperatures. Since the increase in the melting temperature is larger than the increase in the isotropization temperature, the thermal stability range of the mesophase has narrowed for alternating copolyethers with respect to their random copolyether counterparts.