Apr, 2007
Unique molecular orientation in a smectic liquid crystalline polymer film attained by surface-initiated graft polymerization
LANGMUIR
- ,
- ,
- Volume
- 23
- Number
- 8
- First page
- 4642
- Last page
- 4645
- Language
- English
- Publishing type
- Research paper (scientific journal)
- DOI
- 10.1021/la063467h
- Publisher
- AMER CHEMICAL SOC
Liquid crystalline (LC) polymer brushes containing a mesogenic azobenzene (Az) moiety are synthesized on a quartz or silicon substrate by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. The molecular orientation of the Az units and the LC properties in the grafted chains are evaluated by UV-vis spectroscopy, polarized optical microscopy, and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction measurements. The Az side chains of the grafted chains exhibited a smectic LC phase in which the smectic layers are oriented perpendicular to the substrate with a parallel orientation of the mesogens. In contrast, a spincast film of the identical LC polymer without grafting to the surface shows layer structures parallel to the substrate. A drastic effect of tethering one end to the substrate on the LC orientation is demonstrated.
- Link information
- ID information
-
- DOI : 10.1021/la063467h
- ISSN : 0743-7463
- Web of Science ID : WOS:000245370100076