Mechanical orientation in thermotropic liquid crystal state and magnetic orientation in solvent evaporation process via lyotropic liquid crystal state of an amphotropic low-bandgap liquid-crystalline π-conjugated polymer

Abstract

Molecular orientations by shear stress and magnetic field were carried out to obtain a uniaxial, low-bandgap, amphotropic liquid-crystalline (LC) π–conjugated polymer. Orientation of a thick polymer film shows orientation along the shear stress, but a thin sample produced by a spatula drawing on a glass substrate produces LC band structure with a chevron pattern. Furthermore, we report the orientation of a lyotropic LC polymer under magnetic field.

Keywords:

• liquid crystal
• band structure
• low-bandgap
• chevron structure
• uniaxial orientation

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Chemical Analysis Division, Research Facility Center for Science and Technology, University of Tsukuba and the Glass Workshop of University of Tsukuba. Pyrimidine-type LC precursors were generously provided by Midori Chemical (Midori Kagaku, Japan). We wish to express our sincere appreciation to Dr. R.H.L. Kiebooms for his encouragement and advice.