Side chain thermotropic liquid crystalline polysulfone obtained from polysulfone udel by chemical modification

Polysulfone udel was chemically functionalized with chloromethylene functional groups via the chloromethylation reaction. A new azomethine dimesogen containing one phenolic hydroxyl functional group was recently synthesized and proved to exhibit a large nematic mesophase range in the liquid state. Further reaction of the dimesogen with the functionalized polysulfone using a transquaternization reaction led to new polysulfones bearing pendant rigid dimesogenic units--no spacer being involved in the chemical design of the polymer. The polymers were characterized by IR, ¹H NMR spectroscopy techniques, and their thermotropic liquid crystallinity behaviour was studied by optical polarizing microscopy (PLM) and DSC measurements. Enantiotropic nematic mesophases were observed under the PLM. A dependence of the melting temperature on the degree of substitution was noticed.