| Abstract: | The formation of liquid-crystalline structure in hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) in the solvent 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) is described. In addition, an attempt is made to preserve the ordered structure of HPC in a composite by polymerizing the solvent. Optical evidence, including refractive index, absorption spectra, polarized-light microscopy, and x-ray diffraction, indicates that HPC-HEMA solutions exhibit the cholesteric nature of the mesophase over limited concentration and temperature ranges. The polymer composite (HPC-PHEMA) prepared from the liquid-crystalline solution by polymerization of HEMA is endowed with anisotropic organization reflecting liquid-crystalline character. Detailed morphological observations of the composite by electron microscopy show many round particles composed of parallel-stacked, disklike lamellae, and aggregate bodies developed by coalescence of neighboring particles. |
