The design and synthesis of a new series of side-chain dendrimers by grafting vinyl-terminated phenyl benzoate based promesogens to a novel polyproyleneimine (PPI) derived dendritic polyols are reported. Smectic A mesophase was observed for the eight-branched dendrimer over a wide temperature range. The dendrimer bearing four promesogenic units exhibited no mesophase whereas a lamellar order in the crystal state was confirmed by small-angle X-ray diffraction. Distinctly compressed layer architecture of the two generations of dendrimers can be explained in terms of the highly curled dendritic scaffold as well as the disordered terminal long chains. Basing on the eight-armed liquid crystalline dendrimer, a new series of polysiloxane-based main-chain liquid crystalline elastomers containing siloxane spacer and cross-linker were prepared. SAXS pattern of LCE indicates a nematic order. The phase behaviour and structural parameters of the elastomers are greatly dependent on the crosslinking density.

Vinyl-terminated liquid crystalline dendrimers from dendritic polyols and their polysiloxane-based elastomers

244th National Meeting (2012)

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