Liu, X, Xu, Y orcid.org/0000-0001-5180-8892, Heuts, JPA et al. (2 more authors) (2019) Monodisperse Liquid Crystal Network Particles Synthesized via Precipitation Polymerization. Macromolecules, 52 (21). pp. 8339-8345. ISSN 0024-9297
Abstract
The production of liquid crystalline (LC) polymer particles with a narrow size distribution on a large scale remains a challenge. Here, we report the preparation of monodisperse, cross-linked liquid crystalline particles via precipitation polymerization. This versatile and scalable method yields polymer particles with a smectic liquid crystal order. Although the LC monomers are randomly dissolved in solution, the oligomers self-align and LC order is induced. For the polymerization, a smectic LC monomer mixture consisting of cross-linkers and benzoic acid hydrogen-bonded dimers is used. The average diameter of the particles increases at higher polymerization temperatures and in better solvents, whereas the monomer and initiator concentration have only minor impact on the particle size. After deprotonating of the benzoic acid groups, the particles show rapid absorption of a common cationic dye, methylene blue. The methylene blue in the particles can be subsequently released with the addition of Ca2+, while monovalent ions fail to trigger the release. These results reveal that precipitation polymerization is an attractive method to prepare functional LC polymer particles of a narrow size distribution and on a large scale.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 American Chemical Society. This is an open access article published under a Creative Commons Non-Commercial No Derivative Works (CC-BY-NC-ND) Attribution License, which permits copying and redistribution of the article, and creation of adaptations, all for non-commercial purposes. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Chemistry (Leeds) > Inorganic Chemistry (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 10 Dec 2019 15:29 |
Last Modified: | 10 Dec 2019 15:29 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Chemical Society |
Identification Number: | 10.1021/acs.macromol.9b01852 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:154371 |