Liquid crystalline polymers polymerization

The thermotropic aromatic main chain liquid crystalline polymers are also prepared by the phase transfer catalyzed aromatic nucleophilic polymerization [87]. Polyetherification of bis(4-chloro-3-nitrophenyl) sulfone with mesogenic aromatic diols is shown below ... 

Miscibility or compatibility provided by the compatibilizer or TLCP itself can affect the dimensional stability of in situ composites. The feature of ultra-high modulus and low viscosity melt of a nematic liquid crystalline polymer is suitable to induce greater dimensional stability in the composites. For drawn amorphous polymers, if the formed articles are exposed to sufficiently high temperatures, the extended chains are retracted by the entropic driving force of the stretched backbone, similar to the contraction of the stretched rubber network [61,62]. The presence of filler in the extruded articles significantly reduces the total extent of recoil. This can be attributed to the orientation of the fibers in the direction of drawing, which may act as a constraint for a certain amount of polymeric material surrounding them. 

A review of the literature demonstrates some trends concerning the effect of the polymer backbone on the thermotropic behavior of side-chain liquid crystalline polymers. In comparison to low molar mass liquid crystals, the thermal stability of the mesophase increases upon polymerization (3,5,18). However, due to increasing viscosity as the degree of polymerization increases, structural rearrangements are slowed down. Perhaps this is why the isotropization temperature increases up to a critical value as the degree of polymerization increases (18). 

Trimmel, G., Riegler, S., Fuchs, G., Slugovc, C. and Stelzer, F. Liquid Crystalline Polymers by Metathesis Polymerization. Vol. 176, pp. 43-87. 

ROMP Ring-opening metathesis polymerization ADMET Acyclic diene metathesis polymerization ALTMET Alternating diene metathesis polycondensation MCLCP Main chain liquid crystalline polymer SCLCP Side chain liquid crystalline polymer mru molecular repeating unit... 

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