Preface
Liquid crystalline polymers represent an important class of polymeric materials and
have attracted both scientific and technological interests from researchers all over the
world. In the past years, this research field has witnessed significant progress in
liquid crystalline structure design, synthesis, characterization, theory, and applications. This book is a timely contribution, reporting on recent discoveries in selfassembled structures and dynamics of both rod-like and discotic liquid crystalline
polymers and their potential applications in optoelectronics, photoactive actuation,
stimuli-response, flame retardancy, gas permeation, and nanocomposites.
Chapter 1 presents an introduction of liquid crystalline polymers with different
architectures (main-chain versus side-chain) and building blocks (calamitic or
discotic). Their self-assembled mesophases include nematic, smectic, and cholesteric. These liquid crystalline polymers find applications in microelectronics, information technology, apparels, and medical devices due to low dielectric loss,
mechanical strength, thermal conductivity, and chemical and solvent resistance.
From Chapters. 2 to 10, self-assembly and dynamics of liquid crystalline polymers are introduced. For example, Chapter 2 discusses a unique type of side-chain
liquid crystalline polymers, that is, mesogen-jacketed liquid crystalline polymers,
their synthesis, and molecular weight-dependent columnar phase formation.
Chapter 3 introduces liquid crystalline polymers based on discotic building blocks,
emphasizing their synthesis, structure, and phase transformation. Chapter 4 discusses anisotropic liquid crystal networks prepared from reactive mesogens and
their applications in various optoelectronic devices. Chapter 5 presents a comprehensive description of columnar phase-forming polymers and their complex thermotropic phase transformation. In Chapter 6, liquid crystalline [60]fullerenes are
described. These giant molecules can self-assemble into various supramolecular
structures because of their unique spherical shapes. Chapter 7 introduces the structure and self-assembly of liquid crystalline block copolymers. In particular, hierarchical structures in this unique system are discussed. Chapter 8 focuses on
supramolecular self-assembled discotic liquid crystalline LEGOs. As a result of
different covalent attachments of discotic moieties, co-assemblies with intermixed
columnar structures are obtained. In Chapter 9, mesoscale structures and dynamics
of polymer melts and liquid crystalline fluids are discussed. Intriguingly, when the
dimension approaches submillimeter scales, these fluids exhibit finite shear elasticity
v
Liquid crystalline polymers represent an important class of polymeric materials and
have attracted both scientific and technological interests from researchers all over the
world. In the past years, this research field has witnessed significant progress in
liquid crystalline structure design, synthesis, characterization, theory, and applications. This book is a timely contribution, reporting on recent discoveries in selfassembled structures and dynamics of both rod-like and discotic liquid crystalline
polymers and their potential applications in optoelectronics, photoactive actuation,
stimuli-response, flame retardancy, gas permeation, and nanocomposites.
Chapter 1 presents an introduction of liquid crystalline polymers with different
architectures (main-chain versus side-chain) and building blocks (calamitic or
discotic). Their self-assembled mesophases include nematic, smectic, and cholesteric. These liquid crystalline polymers find applications in microelectronics, information technology, apparels, and medical devices due to low dielectric loss,
mechanical strength, thermal conductivity, and chemical and solvent resistance.
From Chapters. 2 to 10, self-assembly and dynamics of liquid crystalline polymers are introduced. For example, Chapter 2 discusses a unique type of side-chain
liquid crystalline polymers, that is, mesogen-jacketed liquid crystalline polymers,
their synthesis, and molecular weight-dependent columnar phase formation.
Chapter 3 introduces liquid crystalline polymers based on discotic building blocks,
emphasizing their synthesis, structure, and phase transformation. Chapter 4 discusses anisotropic liquid crystal networks prepared from reactive mesogens and
their applications in various optoelectronic devices. Chapter 5 presents a comprehensive description of columnar phase-forming polymers and their complex thermotropic phase transformation. In Chapter 6, liquid crystalline [60]fullerenes are
described. These giant molecules can self-assemble into various supramolecular
structures because of their unique spherical shapes. Chapter 7 introduces the structure and self-assembly of liquid crystalline block copolymers. In particular, hierarchical structures in this unique system are discussed. Chapter 8 focuses on
supramolecular self-assembled discotic liquid crystalline LEGOs. As a result of
different covalent attachments of discotic moieties, co-assemblies with intermixed
columnar structures are obtained. In Chapter 9, mesoscale structures and dynamics
of polymer melts and liquid crystalline fluids are discussed. Intriguingly, when the
dimension approaches submillimeter scales, these fluids exhibit finite shear elasticity
v