http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3786-8458
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ABSTRACT
Main-chain biodegradable liquid crystal based on c diosgenyl end-capped poly(trimethylene carbonate) [Dios-(TMC)n] was investigated. The novel liquid crystal was synthesized through ring-opening polymerization of trimethylene carbonate initiated by diosgenin, without adding any catalyst. The chemical structure of resulting polymers was confirmed by 1H NMR. The liquid crystalline properties were validated by X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and polarising optical microscopy. The results showed that the synthesized Dios-(TMC)n exhibited liquid crystallinity in particular temperature ranges because of the incorporation of the diosgenin moieties.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Funding
This research work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC1000902), the National Science Foundation of China (51503093), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (N130205001), the Science and Technology Committee of Liaoning Province (201501116, 201602342, 2016LD0112), and the Shenyang Science and Technology Bureau (F16-205-1-37).