Abstract

Cheng-Chih Chen¹ and Chih-Hung Lin²

DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.13005/ojc/340114

A series of block copolymers containing a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer and an amorphous polystyrene have been synthesized. The block copolymers were prepared by solution polycondensation of α,ω-dicarboxylic acid-terminated polystyrene with 4,4’-dicarboxy-1,6-diphenoxy- hexane and 4,4’-bis(2-hydroxyalkyloxy)biphenyls in a mixture of triphenylphosphine, hexachloroethane, and pyridine. The obtained polymers were fractionated to isolate the pure block copolymer. The block copolymers were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, optical polarizing microscopy measurement. Optical polarizing microscopy measurements verify the presence of a smectic liquid crystalline phase for the block copolymers. The block copolymers represent a microphase-separated morphology, i.e., both amorphous and liquid crystalline properties were displayed by the polystyrene and liquid crystalline polyester segments respectively.

Block Copolymer; Polystyrene; Thermotropic Liquid Crystal; Microphase

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