• Macromolecular Research
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.271-275
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• 2009

This paper describes the out-of-plane order of a liquid crystalline(LC) methacrylate copolymer(3) comprised of a methacrylate(1) with a 4-styrylpyridine moiety as the photo-cyclodimerizable group and a benzoate moiety as the mesogenic group in the side chain, and another methacrylate(2) with a 4-(4-methoxyphenyl)benzoate moiety as the mesogenic group. The composition of 1 and 2 units in 3 was estimated to have a molar ratio of 54.2:45.8 by $^{1}H$ NMR spectroscopy. The X-ray diffraction study revealed that the copolymer forms a partial bilayer smectic structure. The copolymer gave rise to a high out-of-plane order parameter of about 0.74 in a wide LC temperature range of $110{\sim}160^{\circ}C$ after linearly polarized, UV light irradiation and subsequent annealing. Moreover, the external reflection IR analysis indicated that excess UV-light irradiation makes the out-of-plane LC structure of the copolymer appear in a higher and wider temperature range.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.1043-1046
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• 2009

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.207-212
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• 2009

The precursor polyimide of the photoreactive polyimides(PI-SP6 and PI-SP12) was prepared from a derivative of 2, 2, 2-trifluoroethane dianhydride and 3,3'-dihydroxy-4,4'-diaminobiphenyl. PI-SP6 and PI-SP12 were then prepared by the polymer reactions of the precursor polyimide with photoreactive 2-styrylpyridine alkylene (hexylene and dodecylene) derivatives, respectively. The photoreactive polymers were soluble in organic solvents. The polymers showed the initial decomposition temperatures around $350^{\circ}C$. The glass transition temperatures of PI-SP6 and PI-SP12 were found to be $130^{\circ}C$ and $85^{\circ}C$, respectively. This result means that the latter polymer is more flexible than the former polymer. Their transmittance in the film state was 90% at $250^{\circ}C$, which indicates that the photosensitive polyimides with thermal stability have high optical transparency even at the high temperature. The respective dichroic ratios of PI-SP6 and PI-SP12 were found to be 0.01 and 0.03 at an exposure energy of $1.5\;J/cm^2$. This result suggests that the latter polymer with larger flexibility compared to the former polymer is more effective for the photoalignment.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.314-320
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• 2004

Soluble aromatic polyimides bearing 4-(4-oxyalkyleneoxystyryl)- pyridines (ethylene and hexylene) as photoreactive side groups were synthesized and characterized. The photoreactive polymers were soluble in various polar organic solvents and their films were easily formed by solution casting. The photoreactivities of the polymers in the film state were approximately 64% at an exposure energy of 1.5 J/$\textrm{cm}^2$. Transmittances of the polymer films were about 85% after annealing at 20$0^{\circ}C$. Therefore, these polymers can be evaluated to be photoreactive polyimides with good transparency and solubility. The dichroic ratios of the polymers with ethylene and hexylene groups as the alkylene spacers were 0.023 and 0.026, respectively. The order parameters of 4'-pentyl-4-bipheny1carbonitrile as a liquid crystal (LC) in the film cells of the former and latter polymers were 0.50 and 0.52, respectively. These results indicate that the polymers show the effect of alkylene spacer on the photoalignments. The LC in the film cells of the polymers was perpendicularly oriented to the electric vector of the linear polarized UV light (LPUVL).