Cellulose-based Polymeric Liquid Crystals as a Biomimetic Modifier for Suppressing Protein Adsorption

A novel biomimetic protein-resistant modifier based on cellulose-based polymeric liquid crystals was described（PLCs）. Two types of PLCs of propyl hydroxypropyl cellulose ester（PPC） and octyl hydroxypropyl cellulose ester（OPC） were prepared by esterification from hydroxypropyl cellulose, and then were mixed with polyvinyl chloride and polyurethane to obtain composite films by solution casting, respectively. The surface morphology of PLCs and their composite films were characterized by polarized optical microscopy（POM） and scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, suggesting the existence of microdomain separation with fingerprint texture in PLC composite films. Water contact angle measurement results indicated that hydrophilicity of PLC/polymer composite films was dependent on the type and content of PLC as well as the type of matrix due to their interaction. Using bovine serum albumin（BSA） as a model protein, protein adsorption results revealed that PLCs with protein-resistant property can obviously suppress protein adsorption on their composite films, probably due to their flexible LC state. Moreover, all PLCs and their composites exhibited non-toxicity by MTT assay, suggesting their safety for biomedical applications.

Optical simulation of in-plane-switching blue phase liquid crystal display using the finite-difference time-domain method

The finite-difference time-domain method is used to simulate the optical characteristics of an in-plane switching blue phase liquid crystal display.Compared with the matrix optic methods and the refractive method,the finite-difference timedomain method,which is used to directly solve Maxwell＇s equations,can consider the lateral variation of the refractive index and obtain an accurate convergence effect.The simulation results show that e-rays and o-rays bend in different directions when the in-plane switching blue phase liquid crystal display is driven by the operating voltage.The finitedifference time-domain method should be used when the distribution of the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal display has a large lateral change.

边角Zara Domain及其改善研究

研究了大尺寸TFT-LCD显示器制造工艺中LC Pattern对边角Zara domain的影响。实验表明,当大尺寸TFT-LCD显示器制作工艺中LC Pattern中边角处无液晶滴时,边角Zara domain发生率高,当LC Pattern在边角处添加液晶滴时,边角Zara domain发生率降低,通过调整边角处液晶滴到玻璃基板有效面积的距离,到一定范围时边角Zara domain明显降低,通过优化,确定当使用LC Pattern 5时,边角Zara domain发生率最低,为2.5%,经过高温炉处理后,边角Zara domain完全消失。

Electrochemical Polymerization of 4,4-Dimethyl-2,2’-Bithiophene in Concentrated Polymer Liquid Crystal Solution

Electrochemical polymerization of 4,4’-dimethyl-2,2’-bithiophene (4DMBT) was carried out in a concentrated solution of hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) liquid crystal in N,N-dimethylformamide. Infrared absorption spectra suggested that the resultant polymer film contains HPC. This study demonstrates an electrochemical preparation of a polymer composite having liquid crystal order. We proposed a helical stacking composite model.

LOW MACH NUMBER LIMIT OF A COMPRESSIBLE NON-ISOTHERMAL NEMATIC LIQUID CRYSTALS MODEL

In this paper, we study the low Mach number limit of a compressible nonisothermal model for nematic liquid crystals in a bounded domain. We establish the uniform estimates with respect to the Mach number, and thus prove the convergence to the solution of the incompressible model for nematic liquid crystals.

Self-assembly and UV-curing Property of Polymerized Lyotropic Liquid Crystal Monomer of Sodium 3,4,5-tris（ll-acryloxyundecyloxy）benzoate

A polymerized lyotropic liquid crystal monomer of sodium 3,4,5-tris（11-acryloxyundecyloxy）- benzoate was synthesized by a convenient route starting from 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid via esterification followed by etherification, acylation and finally neutralization. The chemi- cal structure was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared （FT-IR） and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectral analysis. The self-organization behavior of the monomer with deionized water in methanol at room temperature was also demonstrated. The assemblies were char- acterized by polarized optical microscope and X-ray diffraction. The results show that a solution containing 80：20 of the monomer to water was found to be able to self-organize into Lamellar （La） phase and 92：8 with inverted hexagonal （H]I） phase, which was in ac- cordance with the theoretical calculation of critical packing parameter. It suggests that the concentration of the monomer was the key factor to influence assembly structure. Addi- tionally, the acrylate conversion with different photoinitiators and nanostructure retention after polymerization were investigated. The research shows that the acrylate conversion of the monomer with Darocur2959 could reach up to 78% when irradiated by 30 mW/cm2 UV light of 365 nm for 30 min characterized by Real-time FT-IR as well as the sol-gel method. Meanwhile, the La and HII phase nanostructures were both retained after polymerization.

Regulating Actuations and Shapes of Liquid Crystal Elastomers through Combining Dynamic Covalent Bonds with Cooling-Rate-Mediated Control

Realizing multiple locked shapes in pre-oriented liquid crystal elastomers(LCEs)is highly desired for diversifying deformations and enhancing multi-functionality.However,conventional LCEs only deform between two shapes for each actuation cycle upon liquid crystal-isotropic phase transitions induced by external stimuli.Here,we propose to regulate the actuation modes and the locked shapes of a pre-orientated epoxy LCE by combining dynamic covalent bonds with cooling-rate-mediated control.The actuation modes can be adjusted on demand by exchange reactions of dynamic covalent bonds.Derived from the established actuation modes,such as elongation,bending,and spiraling,the epoxy LCE displays varied locked shapes at room temperature under different cooling rates.Various mediums are utilized to control the cooling rate,including water,silicone oil,and copper plates.This approach provides a novel way for regulating the actuation modes and locked shapes of cuttingedge intelligent devices.

"LIVING" FREE RADICAL SYNTHESIS OF NOVEL RODCOIL DIBLOCK COPOLYMERS WITH POLYSTYRENE AND MESOGEN-JACKETED LIQUID CRYSTAL POLYMER SEGMENTS

The synthesis of rod-coil diblock copolymers was achieved for the first time by TEMPO-mediated 'living' free radical polymerization of styrene and 2,5-bis [(4-methoxyphenyl)oxycarbonyl] styrene(MPCS). The block architecture of the two diblock copolymers thus prepared, MPCS-b-St(5400/2400) and MPCS-b-St(10800/8700), was confirmed by GPC, DSC studies and the formation of multimolecular micelles. (Author abstract) 10 Refs.

ASYMPTOTIC BEHAVIOR OF SOLUTIONS TO THE COMPRESSIBLE NEMATIC LIQUID CRYSTAL SYSTEM IN R3

In this paper,we study a nematic liquid crystals system in three-dimensional whole space R3 and obtain the time decay rates of the higher-order spatial derivatives of the solution by the method of spectral analysis and energy estimates if the initial data belongs to L1（R3） additionally.

Electro-optical properties cholesteric liquid of polymer stabilized crystal film＊

Liquid crystals （LCs） and polymers are extensively used in various electro-optical applications. In this paper, normal mode polymer stabilized cholesteric LC film is prepared and studied. The effects of chiral dopant and monomer concentrations on the electro-optical properties, such as contrast ratio, driving voltage, hysteresis width and response time, are investigated. The reasons of electro-optical properties influenced by the concentrations of the materials are discussed. Through the proper material recipe, the electro-optical properties of polymer stabilized cholesteric LC film can be optimized.

Electrically tunable holographic polymer templated blue phase liquid crystal grating

In this paper, we demonstrate an alternative approach to fabricating an electrically tunable holographic polymer tem- plated blue phase liquid crystal grating. This grating is obtained by preforming a polymer template comprised of periodic fringes, and then refilling it with a blue phase liquid crystal. Compared with conventional holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal gratings, our grating can remarkably reduce its switching voltage from 200 V to 43 V while maintaining a sub-millisecond response time. The holographic polymer templated blue phase liquid crystal （HPTBPLC） grating is free from electrode patterning, thus leading to a lower cost and more flexible applications.

Semi-interpenetrating-network all-solid-state polymer electrolyte with liquid crystal constructing efficient ion transport channels for flexible solid lithium-metal batteries

The development of the solid-state polymer electrolytes (SPEs) for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) can effectively address the hidden safety issues of commercially used liquid electrolytes.Nevertheless,the unsatisfactory room temperature ion conductivity and inferior mechanical strength for linear PEO-based SPEs are still the immense obstacles impeding the further applications of SPEs for large-scale commercialization.Herein,we fabricate a series of semi-interpenetrating-network (semi-IPN) polymer electrolytes based on a novel liquid crystal (C6M LC) and poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PEGDE) via UV-irradiation at the first time.The LCs not only highly improve the mechanical properties of electrolyte membranes via the construction of network structure with PEGDE,but also create stable ion transport channels for ion conduction.As a result,a free-standing flexible SPE shows outstanding ionic conductivity(5.93×10^(-5) S cm^(-1) at 30℃),a very wide electrochemical stability window of 5.5 V,and excellent thermal stability at thermal decomposition temperatures above 360℃ as well as the capacity of suppressing lithium dendrite growth.Moreover,the LiFePO_(4)/Li battery assembled with the semi-IPN electrolyte membranes exhibits good cycle performance and admirable reversible specific capacity.This work highlights the obvious advantages of LCs applied to the electrolyte for the advanced solid lithium battery.

Kinetics investigations for holographic Bragg grating based on polymer dispersed liquid crystal

This paper investigates the monomer kinetics of polymer dispersed liquid crystal （PDLC） grating. Fourier transform infrared （FTIR） spectra are used in the studies of photoreaction kinetics. The results indicate that there is a relative stable stage arises after a very short initial stage. Based on FTIR studies, the monomer diffusion equation is deduced and necessary numerical simulations are carried out to analyse the monomer conversion which is an important point to improve phase separation structure of PDLC grating. Some simulation results have a good agreement with experimental data. In addition, the effects induced by monomer diffusion constant D and diffusion-polymerization-ratio rate R are discussed. Results show that monomer conversion can be improved by increasing value of D. Besides, a good equilibrium state （R = 1） is more beneficial to the diffusion of monomer which is important in the process of phase separation.

STUDY ON LIQUID CRYSTAL POLYMERS WITH TWO-DIMENSIONAL MESOGENIC UNITS

A series of liquid crystalline polymers with two-dimensional mesogenic units were synthesized by solution polycondensation at low temperature. All the polymers were liquid crystalline. The melting temperature T;（except that with substituent of methoxy） and the clearing temperature T;of the polymers change regularly with varying of the length of the alkyl substituent groups.

SYNTHESIS OF A NOVEL "MESOGEN-JACKETED LIQUID CRYSTAL POLYMER" BASED ON VINYLTEREPHTHALIC ACID

Poly{2,5-bis[(p-methoxyphenyl)oxycarbonyl]styrene}was successfully synthesized.This new polymer has a structure characteristic of mesogen-jacketed liquid cyrstalline polymers(MJLCPs)and does form a liquid crystal phase above its glass transition.It thus became the starting member of a new series of MJLCPs.The synthesis of the polymer as well as the liquid crystalline properties of the polymer and its monomer was discussed.A brief comparison of the new monomer and polymer with some previously reported counterparts was also included.

Effect of BaTiO₃Nanoparticle on Electro-Optical Properties of Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal Displays

Ferro nematic suspensions are the prominent materials to enhance the electro optical performance of liquid crystal displays. Electro optical properties of polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) display with the introduction of Barium Titanate nanoparticles have been investigated in this article and it is shown that there is a considerable enhancement in electro-optical response of the displays. The nanoparticles lower the switch-on electric field and thereby increase the optical transmission at certain voltages of the displays. The electro-optical characteristics of the PDLC cells were investigated with a He-Ne laser followed by MatLab calculations.

INFLUENCE OF THE SOLVENT SWELLING ON MACROMOLECULAR CHOLESTERIC LIQUID CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE

Ethyl-cyanoethyl cellulose [(E-CE)C]/cross-linked polyacrylic acid [PAA] molecular composites with cholesteric order were prepared. It was found that the macromolecular cholesteric structure was changed with the swelling of PAA in the composites. The selective reflection of the cholesteric phase shifted to the longer wavelength and the X-ray diffraction angle shifted to the high angle direction during swelling, which suggested that the cholesteric pitch and the number of the layers of ordered (E-CE)C chains in the cholesteric phase were increased.

NITROXIDE-MEDIATED FREE RADICAL SYNTHESIS OF MESOGEN-JACKETED LIQUID CRYSTAL POLYMERS

The first TEMPO-mediated 'living' free radical polymerization of liquid crystalline monomer, 2, 5-bis[(4-methoxyphenyl)oxycarbonyl]styrene (MPCS), was carried out at 130 degrees C with BPO as an initiator. The molecular weight of the polymer can be varied from rather low values to high values while maintaining narrow polydispersity. It was observed that the polymerization of MPCS proceeded much faster than that of styrene. A tentative explanation for this fast polymerization was suggested.

DYNAMIC RHEOLOGICAL AND THERMAL PROPERTY OF Q-RESIN CONTAINING THERMOTROPIC LIQUID CRYSTALLINE COPOLYESTER AND ITS BLEND WITH PET

A thermotropic liquid crystalline copolyester (LCP) based on p-acetoxy-benzoic acid (49.9mol%), 2,7-diacetoxynaphthalene (22.3 mol%), terephthalic acid (22.3%) and Q-resin (polyethylene 2,6-naphthalene, 5.5%) was prepared via melt transesterification, and then a blend was prepared by physically mixing 40% therm0tropic liquid crystallline copolyester and 60% polyethlene terephthalate (PET). The thermal properties of both-4he LCP and the blend were studied by DSC and the result showed that the various transition temperatures for the blend were rather close to those for pure PET. The thermal stability of LCP, blend and PET was characterized by TGA. The dynamic theological properties of LCP and thc blend were studied by the oscillation test on a rheometric mechanical spectrometer( Instron RM3250) with parallel plate disk. The results showed that the theological behavious of the blend melt exhibit as conventional polymeric melt in the whole experimental frequency range (0.02—12 Hz). However, for the melt

Cinnamate-functionalized hyperbranched polymer as liquid crystal photo-alignment layer

In this work, 4-methoxylcinnamoyl chloride was reacted with a commercial hyperbranched polymer （Boltom-TM H30） to prepare a hyperbranched photosensitive polymer （H30-Ci）. The polymer was characterized by UV absorption spectrum and 1H- NMR spectrum. After processed by Linearly Polarized Polymerization （LPP） method, the spin-coated films of H30-Ci were used as photo-alignment layers to assemble liquid crystal （LC） cells containing nematic liquid crystal （5CB）. The observation by polarized microscope showed that the H30-Ci blended with a linear polymer （BP-AN-Ci） photo-alignment layers could align LC molecules in a very uniform way.