Fabrication of π-Conjugated Polymers with Stable Columnar Order from Hydrogen-bonded Discotic Liquid Crystals Containing Diacetylene and Acrylate Moieties

Abstract

New cross-linked conjugated polydiacetylenes with stable columnar order have been fabricated by using hydrogen-bonded discotic liquid crystals (DLCs) containing photoreactive diacetylene and acrylate moieties. The polymerizable DLC exhibiting columnar mesophase has been prepared simply through hydrogen bonding between a phloroglucinol core and pyridine derivatives containing two photoreactive groups. Photopolymerization of the hydrogen-bonded DLCs in the LC state yielded cross-linked conjugated polydiacetylenic columns in which the diacetylene and acrylate groups were selectively polymerized. Our controlled methodology will provide a promising way to fabricate supramolecular π-functional polymeric materials for plastic optoelectronic devices.

Keywords:

• Columnar phase
• conjugated polymer
• discotic liquid crystal
• hydrogen bonding
• photopolymerization

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-2014R1A1A2057947).