Mesomorphic cellulosic polymers

The present review is mainly concerned with the preparation and functionalization of micro compositional materials with cellulosic polysaccharides as the principal component, including four major categories graft copolymers, miscible or compatible polymer blends and networks, polysaccharide/inorganic nanohybrids, and mesomorphic ordered systems. Ultrathin layers of cellulosic... 

Patel, D.L. Gilbert, R.D. Mesomorphic solutions of cellulose triacetate in halogenated organic acids and mixtures of trifluoroacetic acid and dichloromethane. J. Polym. Sci. Polym. Phys. Ed. 1981, 19 (9), 1449-1460. 

A basic understanding of the structure and behavior of liquid-crystalline cellulosics has yet to evolve. From a conceptual point of view, the chirality of the cellulosic chain is most sensitively expressed in the super-molecular structure of the cholesteric phase, which may be described by the twisting power or the pitch. At present, no information is available about domains or domain sizes (correlation lengths) of supermo-lecular structures. The chirality in the columnar phases has not been addressed at all. The principal problem, i.e., how does chirality on a molecular or conformational level promote chirality on the supermolecular level, has not been solved. If this correlation were known, it would enable the determination of the conformation of cellulosic chains in the mesomorphic phase and the development of models for the polymer-solvent interactions for lyotropic systems. On the other hand, direct probing of this interaction would provide a big leap towards an understanding of lyotropic phases. 

Among polymer molecules exhibiting lyotropic mesomorphism the properties of synthetic polypeptides, poly-alkylisocyanates, cellulose derivatives and para-aromatic polyamides have been investigated in greatest detail. 

Cellulose triacetate-trifluoroacetic acid cholesteric solutions - This kind of lyotropic polymer liquid crystals undergoes a mesomorphic-isotropic phase transition upon heating. The peak is well defined but very small The determination of N for this... 

Navard P, Haudin J-M (1980) Rheology of mesomorphic solutions of cellulose. Br Polym J... 

Patel DL, Gilbert RD (1981) Lyotropic mesomorphic formation of cellulose in trifluoroacetic acid-chlorinated-alkane solvent mixtures at room temperature. J Polym Sci Polym Phys Ed 19... 

I. Cholesteric pitch and pol5Tner concentration. Macroinolecules 17(8) 1512-1520 Wojciechowsld P (2000) Thermotropic mesomorphism of selected (2-hydroxypropyl)cellulose derivatives. J Appl Polym Sci 76(6) 837-844... 

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