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Liquid crystal alignment in electro-responsive nanostructured thermosetting materials based on block copolymer dispersed liquid crystal

A Tercjak1, I Garcia and I Mondragon1

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Novel well-defined nanostructured thermosetting systems were prepared by modification of a diglicydylether of bisphenol-A epoxy resin (DGEBA) with 10 or 15 wt% amphiphilic poly(styrene-b-ethylene oxide) block copolymer (PSEO) and 30 or 40 wt% low molecular weight liquid crystal 4'-(hexyl)-4-biphenyl-carbonitrile (HBC) using m-xylylenediamine (MXDA) as a curing agent. The competition between well-defined nanostructured materials and the ability for alignment of the liquid crystal phase in the materials obtained has been studied by atomic and electrostatic force microscopy, AFM and EFM, respectively. Based on our knowledge, this is the first time that addition of an adequate amount (10 wt%) of a block copolymer to 40 wt% HBC–(DGEBA/MXDA) leads to a well-organized nanostructured thermosetting system (between a hexagonal and worm-like ordered structure), which is also electro-responsive with high rate contrast. This behavior was confirmed using electrostatic force microscopy (EFM), by means of the response of the HBC liquid crystal phase to the voltage applied to the EFM tip. In contrast, though materials containing 15 wt% PSEO and 30 wt% HBC also form a well-defined nanostructured thermosetting system, they do not show such a high contrast between the uncharged and charged surface.


PACS

61.30.Vx Polymer liquid crystals

81.16.Dn Self-assembly

68.37.Ps Atomic force microscopy (AFM)

Subjects

Soft matter, liquids and polymers

Surfaces, interfaces and thin films

Nanoscale science and low-D systems

Dates

Issue 27 (9 July 2008)

Received 20 March 2008, in final form 22 April 2008

Published 28 May 2008



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