Jacketed polymers: Controlled synthesis of mesogen‐jacketed polymers and block copolymers

Abstract

The controlled radical polymerization of mesogen‐jacketed liquid crystalline polymers has triggered great interests in synthesis of complex structures as well as well‐defined linear homopolymers with controlled molecular weight and narrow molecular weight distributions. This review highlights the synthetic strategies of controlled radical polymerization of linear homopolymers, star polymers, superbranched polymers, graft polymers, block copolymers, star block copolymers, and so on. The employed living methods include nitroxide‐mediated radical polymerization and atom transfer radical polymerization. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 319–330, 2009

Hierarchically ordered ABA triblock copolymer with large difference in glass transition temperatures of the two blocks

“…They have bulky side groups laterally attached to the polymer backbone with a short or no spacer, leading to properties similar to semirigid main‐chain LC polymers . The length of the rod‐like MJLCP chain can be controlled by the degree of polymerization through living free radical polymerization, and MJLCPs can serve as rod blocks in BCPs. Poly(2,5‐bis‐[4‐methoxyphenyl]oxycarbonyl)styrene) (PMPCS), a typical MJLCP, has been used in a variety of rod‐coil BCPs, including the first MJLCP‐coil diblock copolymer PMPCS‐ b ‐PS .…”

Side-chain Liquid Crystal Polymers (SCLCP): Methods and Materials. An Overview

“…Many mesogenic moieties contain functional groups, which rule out living polymerization methods such as cationic, ionic and metathesis processes [40]. …”

Side Chain Liquid Crystalline Polymers: Advances and Applications

“…A series of MJLCPs with side-chain cores based on 2-vinylhydroquinone, (Zhou et al 1989) 2-vinyl-1,4-phenylenediamine, (Zhang et al 1997) 2-vinylterephthalic acid (VTA), (Zhang et al 1999;Ye et al 2004), vinylbiphenyl, (Zhang et al 2011Wu et al 2012) vinylterphenyl, (Yu et al 2003a, b) and oxadiazole-containing conjugated structure (Chai et al 2007;Xu et al 2009), have been successfully synthesized and characterized (Gao et al 2009). By hydrosilylation of polymethyl hydrosiloxane with the styrenic monomers, MJLCPs with a polysiloxane main chain were synthesized (Zhang et al 2010).…”

“…When compared to polyacrylates, the poly (meth) acrylate backbone tends to depress the LC phase formation, indicating the influence of the polymer backbone on liquid crystallinity. The most studied MJLCPs are those with a polystyrene main chain, which can be synthesized via controlled radical polymerizations (Gao et al 2009). …”