Synthesis and liquid crystalline behavior of bulky poly(methacrylamide)s

Abstract

N-(Bis(4-(2-ethylhexyloxy)phenyl)(phenyl)-methyl)methacrylamide was synthesized and polymerized via reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The chain-transfer agent (4-cyano-4-(phenylcarbonothioylthio) pentanoic acid (CPADB)), combined with a chiral additive, and a radical initiator yielded polymers with dispersities between 1.2 and 1.4. At low concentrations, the polymers are soluble in hexanes and chloroform while at higher concentrations they swell in these solvents. Characterization of the polymers by wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) revealed an interplanar distance of 19.0 Å. The WAXS data combined with polarized optical microscopy support a lamellar crystallization and lyotropic liquid crystalline behavior in hexanes and chloroform.