Liquid crystalline polysurfactant

Summary A new kind of amphiphilic polymer (PAMC₁₆S) has been synthesized where the amphiphilic moiety is attached as a side chain via the hydrophilic end to the polymer backbone. DSC, POM, and WAXD study revealed that the polysurfactant formed thermotropic liquid crystalline phase. The liquid crystalline domains appeared after annealed at the melt for a period of time, and evolved with annealing. It was indicated that the thermodynamic effect played a significant role on the self—aggregation of hydrophobic ends, so as to form liquid crystalline structure. X—ray investigation suggested that the mesophase structure could be described as smectic with lamellar type of packing, in which alkyl tails aggregated to form layer. A model of supermolecular structure was given.