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Cooperative and Independent Effect of Modular Functionalization on Mesomorphic Performances and Microphase Separation of Well‐Designed Liquid Crystalline Diblock Copolymers
Author(s) -
Lei Lan,
Han Li,
Ma Hongwei,
Zhang Ruixue,
Huang Shuai,
Shen Heyu,
Yang Lincan,
Li Chao,
Zhang Songbo,
Bai Hongyuan,
Ma Qingchi,
Li Yang
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.202000268
Subject(s) - copolymer , surface modification , materials science , polymer chemistry , hydrosilylation , differential scanning calorimetry , azobenzene , polymerization , chemical engineering , anionic addition polymerization , thermotropic crystal , polymer , liquid crystalline , organic chemistry , chemistry , composite material , catalysis , physics , engineering , thermodynamics
Liquid crystalline block copolymers (LCBCPs) are promising for developing functional materials owing to an assembly of better functionalities. Taking advantage of differences in reactivity between alkynyl and vinyl over temperature during hydrosilylation, a series of LCBCPs with modular functionalization of the block copolymers (BCPs) are reported by independently and site‐selectively attaching azobenzene moieties containing alkynyl (LC 1 ) and Si‐H (LC 2 ) terminals into well‐designed poly(styrene)‐block‐polybutadienes (PS‐ b ‐PBs) and poly(4‐vinylphenyldimethylsilane)‐block‐polybutadienes (PVPDMS‐ b ‐PBs) produced from living anionic polymerization (LAP). By the principle of modular functionalization, it is demonstrated that mono‐functionalized (PVPDMS‐ g ‐LC 1 )‐ b ‐PB and PS‐ b ‐(PB‐ g ‐LC 2 ) not only maintain independence but also have cooperative contributions to bi‐functionalized (PVPDMS‐ g ‐LC 1 )‐ b ‐(PB‐ g ‐LC 2 ) in terms of mesomorphic performances and microphase separation, which is evident from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized optical morphologies (POM) and identified by powder X‐ray diffractions. With the application of the new principle of modular functionalization, local‐crosslinked liquid crystalline networks (LCNs) with controlled functionality are successfully synthesized, which show well‐controlled phase behaviors over molecular compositions.