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Polymers
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Liquid Crystalline Polymers
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Liquid Crystalline Polymers

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 June 2018) | Viewed by 35999

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Peter Foot

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kingston University London, Kingston upon Thames KT1 2EE, UK
Interests: polymer chemistry; inorganic materials chemistry; organic electronics and optoelectronics; nanomaterials; drug delivery; polymer characterization and surface modification; battery materials and systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The combination of liquid crystallinity with polymeric systems has been investigated for several decades, and it has increasingly realized its potential to achieve benefits, such as programmed and superior materials properties, more convenient polymer processing and smart responsiveness to a range of different stimuli.  Research in this area is now very active, and there are numerous commercial applications.

This Special Issue of Polymers aims to bring together pure and applied research papers on liquid crystal polymers (LCPs). Contributions on polymer design, modeling and synthesis will be welcomed, as will those devoted to structure/processing/properties and applications of LCPs as functional or structural materials. Main-chain and side-chain LCPs as well as polymer-liquid crystal blends, dispersions and encapsulations will fall within the scope of this Special Issue, as will the liquid crystalline properties of certain biopolymers. Examples of relevant applications could include high-tensile fibers and their processing, liquid crystal elastomers for sensors or actuators, pharmaceutics, ferroelectrics and conducting LCPs in electronics, photonics and energy conversion.

In addition to novel research papers, authoritative reviews on topics such as the above may be proposed; they could make a valuable contribution and would enhance the value of this Special Issue to researchers and other users in this area.

Prof. Dr. Peter Foot
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Thermotropic
  • Lyotropic
  • Discotic
  • Side-chain
  • Main-chain
  • Polymer-liquid crystal blends
  • Switchable polymers
  • Fiber processing
  • Sensors
  • Actuators
  • O-LED and polymer LCD devices
  • Conducting polymer liquid crystals
  • Ferroelectrics
  • Biopolymer liquid crystals
  • Drug delivery

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 5899 KiB  
Article
Effect of Shear Rate on the Orientation and Relaxation of a Vanillic Acid Based Liquid Crystalline Polymer
by Gijs W. De Kort, Nils Leoné, Eric Stellamanns, Dietmar Auhl, Carolus H. R. M. Wilsens and Sanjay Rastogi
Polymers 2018, 10(9), 935; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym10090935 - 22 Aug 2018
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5328
Abstract
In this study, we report on the visco-elastic response during start-up and cessation of shear of a novel bio-based liquid crystal polymer. The ensuing morphological changes are analyzed at different length scales by in-situ polarized optical microscopy and wide-angle X-ray diffraction. Upon inception [...] Read more.
In this study, we report on the visco-elastic response during start-up and cessation of shear of a novel bio-based liquid crystal polymer. The ensuing morphological changes are analyzed at different length scales by in-situ polarized optical microscopy and wide-angle X-ray diffraction. Upon inception of shear, the polydomain texture is initially stretched, at larger strain break up processes become increasingly important, and eventually a steady state texture is obtained. The shear stress response showed good coherence between optical and rheo-X-ray data. The evolution of the orientation parameter coincides with the evolution of the texture: the order parameter increases as the texture stretches, drops slightly in the break up regime, and reaches a constant value in the plateau regime. The relaxation of the shear stress and the polydomain texture showed two distinct processes with different timescales: The first is fast contraction of the stretched domain texture; the second is the slow coalescence of the polydomain texture. The timescale of the orientation parameter’s relaxation matched with that of the slow coalescence process. All processes were found to scale with shear rate in the tested regime. These observations can have far reaching implications for the processing of liquid crystal polymers as they indicate that increased shear rates during processing can correspond to an increased relaxation rate of the orientation parameter and, therefore, a decrease in anisotropy and material properties after cooling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Crystalline Polymers)
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15 pages, 3132 KiB  
Article
CO2 in Lyotropic Liquid Crystals: Monoethanolamine-Facilitated Uptake and Swelling
by Sandra Rodríguez-Fabià, Jens Norrman, Johan Sjöblom and Kristofer Paso
Polymers 2018, 10(8), 883; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym10080883 - 07 Aug 2018
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4332
Abstract
Ternary systems consisting of amphiphilic block copolymers/water/monoethanolamine (MEA) have been studied as potential solvents for carbon capture and storage (CCS). The phase behavior of two poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) copolymers with average compositions (EO)8(PO)47(EO)8 (L92) and (EO)3 [...] Read more.
Ternary systems consisting of amphiphilic block copolymers/water/monoethanolamine (MEA) have been studied as potential solvents for carbon capture and storage (CCS). The phase behavior of two poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) copolymers with average compositions (EO)8(PO)47(EO)8 (L92) and (EO)3(PO)50(EO)3 (L81) have been investigated by cross-polarized visual observation and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The respective ternary phase diagrams have been studied for systems containing MEA and the equivalent systems containing CO2-loaded MEA. The presence of MEA loaded with CO2 hinders self-association, preventing the formation of liquid crystalline phases. One-phase liquid crystalline regions were found at low MEA concentrations (below 20 wt %) in L92. In the case of L81, only one one-phase region consisting of coexisting lamellar and disordered aggregates was found at 5 wt % MEA. The swelling of the liquid crystalline phases with MEA was investigated along designated dilution lines. The lattice parameters of L92 liquid crystals decrease upon addition of MEA, whereas L81 aggregates show the opposite behavior. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Crystalline Polymers)
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9 pages, 2561 KiB  
Article
Coupling of Defect Modes in Cholesteric Liquid Crystals Separated by Isotropic Polymeric Layers
by Shaohua Gao, Yanzi Zhai, Xinzheng Zhang, Xiao Song, Jiayi Wang, Irena Drevensek-Olenik, Romano A. Rupp and Jingjun Xu
Polymers 2018, 10(7), 805; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym10070805 - 23 Jul 2018
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 6956
Abstract
Cholesteric liquid crystal structures with multiple isotropic defect layers exhibit localized optical modes (defect modes). Coupling effects between these modes were simulated using the finite difference time domain method. Analogous to the well-known result of the tight-binding approximation in solid state physics, splitting [...] Read more.
Cholesteric liquid crystal structures with multiple isotropic defect layers exhibit localized optical modes (defect modes). Coupling effects between these modes were simulated using the finite difference time domain method. Analogous to the well-known result of the tight-binding approximation in solid state physics, splitting of the defect modes takes place, as soon as the structure contains more than one defect layer. The dispersion relation of the mini-bands forming within the photonic band gap of the structure is calculated numerically. The structures might have promising applications for multiwavelength filters and low-threshold lasers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Crystalline Polymers)
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10 pages, 2535 KiB  
Article
Nanoparticles-Modified Chemical Sensor Fabricated on a Flexible Polymer Substrate for Cadmium(II) Detection
by Nan Wang, Elgar Kanhere, Jianmin Miao and Michael S. Triantafyllou
Polymers 2018, 10(7), 694; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym10070694 - 21 Jun 2018
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3747
Abstract
This paper presents the development of a chemical sensor which was microfabricated on top of liquid crystal polymer (LCP) substrate. As a result of the unique material properties of LCP, the sensor showed favorable flexibility as well as operational reliability. These features demonstrate [...] Read more.
This paper presents the development of a chemical sensor which was microfabricated on top of liquid crystal polymer (LCP) substrate. As a result of the unique material properties of LCP, the sensor showed favorable flexibility as well as operational reliability. These features demonstrate potential for integration of the sensor into automated sensing vehicles to achieve real-time detection. The sensor consists of a gold working electrode, a silver/silver chloride reference electrode, and a gold counter electrode. The working electrode of the sensor was further modified with bismuth nanoparticles and Nafion. The modified sensor exhibited a significantly enhanced sensing capability toward cadmium metal ion (Cd(II)) in comparison to the unmodified one. The effects of deposition potential and deposition time on the sensing performance of the sensor were extensively investigated through electrochemical experiments. With optimized parameters, the sensor was capable of quantifying Cd(II) in the concentration range of 0.3 to 25 µg/L. The minimum Cd(II) concentration detected by the sensor was 0.06 µg/L under quiescent deposition. The obtained results suggest that the proposed sensor has a great potential to be deployed for in-situ Cd(II) determination. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Crystalline Polymers)
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Review

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37 pages, 8129 KiB  
Review
Polysiloxane-Based Side Chain Liquid Crystal Polymers: From Synthesis to Structure–Phase Transition Behavior Relationships
by Lanying Zhang, Wenhuan Yao, Yanzi Gao, Cuihong Zhang and Huai Yang
Polymers 2018, 10(7), 794; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym10070794 - 19 Jul 2018
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 7163
Abstract
Organosilicon polymer materials play an important role in certain applications due to characteristics of much lower glass transition temperatures (Tg), viscosities, surface energy, as well as good mechanical, thermal stabilities, and insulation performance stemming from the higher bond energy and [...] Read more.
Organosilicon polymer materials play an important role in certain applications due to characteristics of much lower glass transition temperatures (Tg), viscosities, surface energy, as well as good mechanical, thermal stabilities, and insulation performance stemming from the higher bond energy and the larger bond angles of the adjacent silicon-oxygen bond. This critical review highlights developments in the synthesis, structure, and phase transition behaviors of polysiloxane-based side chain liquid crystal polymers (PSCLCPs) of linear and cyclic polysiloxanes containing homopolymers and copolymers. Detailed synthetic strategies are elaborated, and the relationship between molecular structures and liquid crystalline phase transition behaviors is systematically discussed, providing theoretical guidance on the molecular design of the materials. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Crystalline Polymers)
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27 pages, 10097 KiB  
Review
Nanostructured Composites Based on Liquid-Crystalline Elastomers
by Vanessa Cresta, Giuseppe Romano, Alexej Kolpak, Boštjan Zalar and Valentina Domenici
Polymers 2018, 10(7), 773; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym10070773 - 14 Jul 2018
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 7012
Abstract
Liquid-crystalline elastomers (LCEs) are the object of many research investigations due to their reversible and controllable shape deformations, and their high potential for use in the field of soft robots and artificial muscles. This review focuses on recent studies about polymer composites based [...] Read more.
Liquid-crystalline elastomers (LCEs) are the object of many research investigations due to their reversible and controllable shape deformations, and their high potential for use in the field of soft robots and artificial muscles. This review focuses on recent studies about polymer composites based on LCEs and nanomaterials having different chemistry and morphology, with the aim of instilling new physical properties into LCEs. The synthesis, physico-chemical characterization, actuation properties, and applications of LCE-based composites reported in the literature are reviewed. Several cases are discussed: (1) the addition of various carbon nanomaterials to LCEs, from carbon black to carbon nanotubes, to the recent attempts to include graphene layers to enhance the thermo-mechanic properties of LCEs; (2) the use of various types of nanoparticles, such as ferroelectric ceramics, gold nanoparticles, conductive molybdenum-oxide nanowires, and magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles, to induce electro-actuation, magnetic-actuation, or photo-actuation into the LCE-based composites; (3) the deposition on LCE surfaces of thin layers of conductive materials (i.e., conductive polymers and gold nanolayers) to produce bending actuation by applying on/off voltage cycles or surface-wrinkling phenomena in view of tunable optical applications. Some future perspectives of this field of soft materials conclude the review. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Crystalline Polymers)
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