Self-assembly-induced supramolecular hexagonal columnar liquid crystalline phase using laterally attached nonmesogenic templates

A novel poly[di(4-heptyl) vinylterephthalate] has been synthesized based upon a free radical polymerization from a newly designed monomer having a nonmesogenic template with two double-swallow-tailed I-heptyl (Y-shaped) groups. The resulting polymer consists of a polyethylene backbone and a 2,5bis-(4-heptyloxycarbonyl)phenyl lateral substitutent on every second carbon atom of the backbone. Although neither the backbone nor the pendent template exhibits liquid crystalline (LC) behavior, they couple together to form a supramolecular hexagonal columnar LC phase on a scale of greater than 1.5 nm in the polymer. Therefore, it is deduced that this supramolecular LC structure is constructed via a cooperative assembly of a helical arrangement of the backbones with the pendent templates.Polymer ScienceSCI(E)EI81ARTICLE176315-63203