Liquid crystal polymer researching

The field of thermoset polymers is an area of polymer science that has not yet been widely integrated with liquid crystal polymer research. It is interesting to note that Finkelmann et al. (5) reported on the formation of crosslinked elastomeric liquid crystalline networks in 1981. Although the general concept of a... 

We are currently initiating three research projects that include (1) the synthesis of reflective liquid crystal/polymer composite films, (2) a study of microphase separation in hyperbranched block copolymers, and (3) the design and synthesis of polar organic thin films, which is the subject of this proposal. (47 words aim for 41 words)... 

Plate, N. A., Liquid-Crystal Polymers, Plenum Press, New York, 1992. Collings, P. J. and Patel, J. S., Handbook of Liquid Crystal Research, Oxford University Press, New York, 1997. 

Researchers develop a paper-thin, radiation-resistant, liquid-crystal polymer in which electronic circuits can be imbedded, making it useful in space applications. 

Despite the numerous confirmations of the negative phenomenon, it has still been widely stated that the flow of all polymer systems exhibits only positive primary normal forces (i.e. a positive Nj, the first normal stress difference) [8, 9]. Even subsequent reviews and research papers on the specific subject of lyotropic main chain liquid crystal polymers have not mentioned the confirmed negative effect [10], and even equivalent shear measurements on the identical solutions did not report the negative effect [11]. 

The self-organizing nature of liquid crystal polymers is reflected in their complex flow behavior. The relaxation phenomenon of lyotropic polymer solution after shear cessation leads to band texture morphology that can be further induced to isotropic materials. Future research should focus on solvents influence on band size implicitly related to the induced pattern in polymers with different structures. Another aspect that could be explored is the imidization of patterned polyimide precursors and those conditions in which the texture is still maintained. 

This work was supported by a grant from the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, CNCS-UEFISCDI, project PN-ll-RU-TE-2014-4-2976, no. 256/1.10.2015. Special thanks are addressed to Dr. Silvia loan and Dr. Camelia Hulubei from Petru Poni Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry-Romania for supervising the rheological experiments of liquid crystal polymer solutions and for synthesis of some imidic polymers containing aliphatic units, respectively. 

Andreea Irina Barzic has been a scientific researcher in the Department of Physical Chemistry of Polymers at the Petru Poni Institute of Macromolecular Chanistry, Iasi, Romania, since 2005. She received her PhD in chemistry from the Romanian Academy, Bucharest, Romania. Her major fields of interest include polymer blends, composites, and liquid crystal polymers. She has published more than 40 papers in peer-reviewed journals and has authored or coauthored several books. She is also involved in several research projects and is a referee (reviewer) for a number of prestigious journals in the field of polymer science. 

The main-chain and side-chain polymers as well as the classical small-molecule liquid crystals consist essentially of one-dimensional molecules (rods). Low molar mass compounds of two-dimensional discshaped molecules were discovered by Chandrasekhar (1977) to possess liquid crystallinity. They were referred to as discotic liquid crystals. Later research has involved the synthesis and characterization of polymers with discotic moieties connected via flexible spacer groups. 

After 10 years of strongly expanding research, the field of fienoeleciric liquid crystal polymers is still in its infancy. The rapid progress has opened up a lot of questions Cor... 

Soft materials such as liquid crystals, polymers, biomaterials, and colloidal systems touch every aspect of our lives. Not surprisingly, the rapid growth of these fields over the past few decades has resulted in an explosion of soft matter research groups worldwide. Fundamentals of Soft Matter Science introduces and explores the scientific study of soft matter and molecular self-assembly, covering the major classifications of materials, their structure and characteristics, and everyday applications. 

New information on liquid-crystal polymers is being obtained every month. There are currently three or four international conferences or symposia on this problem each year, not counting the scores of national conferences which are regularly held in the industrially developed countries. Studies are now being widely conducted in laboratories in the USSR, USA, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Hungary, and English and French scientists have been intensely involved in research in the past 3-4 years. The International Union of Pure and Applied... 

Chemistry (RJPAC) has recognized the field of liquid-crystal polymers as one of the most promising fields of polymer science which merits attention and support and organized a special group in 1987 for research under a coordinated international program. 

During the 1980s and 1990s, the pace of research and commercialisation of high-temperature plastics accelerated dramatically. The thermoplastic resin manufacturers introduced many new materials based on imide, sulfone, and ketone-based polymers. These include polyetherimide (1982) and polyphthalamide (1991). Polyketones and liquid crystal polymers were also commercialised in the 1990s. 

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