• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.244-257
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• 2002

A thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer(TLCP) which has flexible butylene/hexylene spacers in the main chain and a triad aromatic ester type mesogenic unit containing a naphthyl group was prepared by solution polycondensation. The in-situ composites based on poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalate) (PEN) and a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer(TLCP) were prepared and melt spun at different TLCP contents and different draw ratios to produce monofilaments. Blends of the TLCP with PEN were investigated in terms of thermal, mechanical properties and morphology. The TLCP synthesized showed nematic mesophasic behavior and its transition temperature to isotropic melt from mesophase was 249℃. The blends showed well dispersed TLCP phases in the PEN matrix without macroscopic phase separation. Inclusion of TLCP in the blends decreased the cold crystallization temperature of PEN in the blend, therefore, the TLCP acts as a nucleating agent in the blend and showed good interfacial adhesion between the dispersed LCP phases and PEN matrix with domain sizes 40~50 nm in diameter and well developed fibrillation in the monofilaments. The TLCP acted effectively as a reinforcing material in the PEN matrix at the 10wt% level, it led to an increase of initial modulus up to 270% and tensile strength by 235%, while the elongation rate increasing with higher draw ratios.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.776-788
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• 2012

Octa[8-{4-(4'-cyanophenylazo)phenoxy}]octyl and octa[8-{4-(4'-cyanophenylazo)phenoxycarbonyl}]heptanoated disaccharide derivatives were synthesized by reacting cellobiose, maltose, and lactose with 1-{4-(4'-cyanophenylazo) phenoxy}octylbromide or 1-{4-(4'-cyanophenylazo)phenoxycarbonyl}]heptanoyl chloride, and their thermotropic liquid crystalline and photochemical phase transition behavior were investigated. All the {(cyanophenylazo)phenoxy} octyl disaccharide ethers (CADETs) formed monotropic nematic (N) phases, whereas all the {(cyanophenylazo) phenoxycarbonyl}heptanoated disaccharide esters (CADESs) exhibited enantiotropic N phases. Compared with CADETs, CADESs showed higher isotropic (I)-to-N phase transition temperatures. Photoirradiation of the disaccharide derivatives in a glass cell or in a cell with a rubbed polyimide (PI) alignment layer at a N phase resulted in disappearance of the N phase due to trans-cis photoisomerization of azobenzene, and the initial N phase was recovered when the irradiated sample was kept in the dark because of cis-trans thermal isomerization and reorientation of trans-azobenzenes. The rates of the photochemical N-I and the thermal I-N phase transition of disaccharide derivatives in a cell with a rubbed PI alignment layer were faster than those in a glass cell, and were significantly different from those observed for the monomesogenic compounds containing cyanoazobenzene and the 4-{4'-(cyanophenylazo)phenoxy}octyl glucose and cellulose ethers. The results were discussed in terms of difference in cooperative motion of azobenzene groups due to the flexibility of the main chain, the number of mesogenic units per repeating units, and the distance between the azobenzene groups.