• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.76-87
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• 2012

Three kinds of hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) derivatives, [6-{4-(4-cyanophenylazo)phenoxy}]hexyloxypropyl celluloses (CAHPCs) with degree of etherification (DET) ranging from 0.4 to 3, fully substituted acrylic acid esters of HPC (HPCA) and CAHPCs (CAHPCAs) were synthesized. The crosslinked HPCA (HPCAG) and CAHPCAs (CAHPCAGs) were also prepared by exposing thermotropic mesophases of HPCA and CAHPCAs to UV light. Both CAHPCs and CAHPCAs with DET ${\leq}$ 1.2, as well as HPC and HPCA, formed enantiotropic cholesteric phases whose optical pitches(${\lambda}_m$'s) increase with temperature, wheras both CAHPCs and CAHPCAs with DET ${\geq}$ 1.4 showed monotropic nematic phases. CAHPCAGs with DET ${\leq}$ 1.2, as well as CAHPCAs with DET ${\leq}$ 1.2, exhibited reflection colors in a wide temperature range. On the other hand, CAHPCAGs with DET ${\geq}$ 1.4, as well as CAHPCAs with DET ${\geq}$ 1.4, showed Schileren textures typical of nematic phase, indicating that the liquid crystalline structure is virtually locked upon photocrosslinking. The isotropization temperatures($T_i$'s) of both CAHPCAs and CAHPCAGs decreased with increasing DET. The $T_i$ of CAHPCAG, however, was higher than that of CAHPCA at the same DET. Moreover, the temperature dependence of ${\lambda}_m$ of CAHPCAGs was much weaker than that of CAHPCAs.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.446-457
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• 2008

Three kinds of hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) derivatives: 6- (cholesteryloxycarbonyl) pentoxypropyl celluloses(CHPCs) with degree of esterification(DE) ranging from 0.6 to 3, 6-[4-{4'-(nitrophenylazo)phenoxycarbonyl}] pentoxypropyl celluloses (NHPCs) with DE ranging from 0.4 to 3, and fully 6-(cholesteryloxycarbonyl) pentanoated NHPCs (CNHPCs) were synthesized, and their thermotropic liquid crystalline properties were investigated. All the CHPCs and NHPCs with $DE{\leq}1.7$ formed enantiotropic cholesteric phases, whereas CNHPCs with 6-(cholesteryloxycarbonyl) pentanoyl DE(DEC) more than 1.6 exhibited monotropic cholesteric phases. On the other hand, NHPCs with $DE{\geq}2.4$ and CNHPCs with $DEC{\leq}1.3$ showed monotropic nematic phases. NHPCs with $DE{\leq}l$, as well as HPC, formed right-handed helices whose optical pitches (${{\lambda}_m}'s$) increase with temperature, while all the CHPCs formed left-handed helices whose ${{\lambda}_m}'s$ decrease with temperature. In contrast with these derivatives, NHPCs with $1.4{\leq}DE{\leq}1.7$ and CNHPCs with $DEC{\geq}1.6$ did not display reflection colors over the full cholesteric range, suggesting that the helical twisting power of the cellulose chain and the cholesteryl group highly depends on the chemical structure and DE of mesogenic group.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.14-21
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• 2019

Main-chain/side-chain liquid crystalline polymers (MCSCLCPs) combined with an azobenzene group and a cholesteryl group were synthesized to impart light and temperature sensitivity to the polymer. The polymers were designed with the azobenzene unit as the mesogenic group of the main-chain and various compositions of the azobenzene and cholesteryl units as the mesogenic group of the side-chain. The chemical structures and physical properties of the synthesized polymers were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, polarized optical microscopy, and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. All the MCSCLCPs were amorphous and exhibited enantiotropic liquid crystal phases; these polymers achieved the nematic phase with increasing content of the azobenzene group and exhibited the cholesteric phase with weak liquid crystallinity as the content of the cholesteryl group was increased. Furthermore, the polymers containing the azobenzene group showed photoisomerization when exposed to UV-Vis light, and the CP-A3C7 and CP-A5C5 polymers exhibited thermochromism in the temperature range of the liquid crystal phase.