Bulk Alignment of Chromonic Aggregates During Swelling of Hydrogels.

This study demonstrates that the bulk alignment of chromonic aggregates can be achieved during the swelling of hydrogels. Swelling of an ionic hydrogel immersed in an aqueous solution of disodium cromoglycate reorients the chromonic aggregates, and millimeter-thick optically anisotropic hydrogels are obtained. These anisotropic hydrogels contain the chromonic aggregates at a condensed concentration as high as in the columnar phase of a normal chromonic aqueous solution, although the X-ray diffraction results show much less stacking order and orientational order of the aggregates. Furthermore, anisotropic mechanical properties of the hydrogels are observed due to the anisotropic alignment of the chromonic aggregates.

Molecular Design for Preparation of Hexagonal-Ordered Porous Films Based on Side-Chain-Type Liquid-Crystalline Star Polymer.

Fabrication of regularly porous films by the breath-figure method has attracted much attention. The simple, low-cost technique uses the condensation of water droplets to produce these structures, but the phenomenon itself is complex, requiring control over many interacting parameters that change throughout the process. Developing a unified understanding for the molecular design of polymers to prepare ordered porous films is challenging, but required for further advancements. In this article, the effects of the chemical structure of polymers in the breath-figure technique were systematically explored using side-chain-type liquid-crystalline star polymers. The formation of porous films was affected by the structure of the polymers. Although the entire film surface of poly(11-[4-(4-cyanobiphenyl)oxy]undecyl methacrylate) (P11CB) had a hexagonal ordered porous structure over a certain Mn value, regularly arranged holes did not easily form in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), even though the main chain of PMMA is similar to that of P11CB. A comparison of P11CB and poly(11-[(1,1'-biphenyl)-4-yloxy]undecyl methacrylate) (P11B) (P11CB without cyano groups) showed that the local polar groups in hydrophobic polymers promoted the formation of ordered porous films. No holes were formed in poly(4-cyanobiphenyl methacrylate) (P0CB) (P11CB without alkyl spacers) films due to its hydrophilicity. The introduction of alkyl chains in P0CB allowed the preparation of honeycomb-structured films by increasing the internal tension. However, alkyl chains in the side chain alone did not result in a porous structure, as in the case of poly(undecyl methacrylate) (P11). Aromatic rings are also required to increase the Tg and improve film formability. In the present study, suitable molecular designs of polymers were found, specifically hydrophobic polymers with local polar groups, to form a regularly porous structure. Development of clear guidelines for the molecular design of polymers is the subject of our current research, which will enable the fabrication of porous films using various functional polymers.

Chiral lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals composed of disodium cromoglycate doped with water-soluble chiral additives.

We investigated the pitches of cholesteric liquid crystals prepared by mixing disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) in water with 5 different water-soluble chiral additives. The measurements are based on the Grandjean-Cano wedge cell method. Overall, the twisting effect is weak, and the shortest pitch of 2.9 ± 0.2 µm is obtained using trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline, by which the cholesteric sample is iridescent at certain viewing angles. Freeze-fracture transmission electron microscopy (FFTEM) was also performed for the first time on both the nematic and cholesteric phases, revealing that stacked chromonic aggregates are very long, up to a few hundred nm, which explains why cholesteric chromonic liquid crystals hardly have pitches in the visible wavelength region.

Dismantlable Thermosetting Adhesives Composed of a Cross-Linkable Poly(olefin sulfone) with a Photobase Generator.

A novel photodetachable adhesive was prepared using a photodepolymerizable cross-linked poly(olefin sulfone). A mixture of a cross-linkable poly(olefin sulfone), a cross-linking reagent, and a photobase generator functioned as a thermosetting adhesive and exhibited high adhesive strength on quartz plates comparable to that obtained for commercially available epoxy adhesives. The cured resin was stable in the absence of UV light irradiation but completely lost its adhesive strength upon exposure of glued quartz plates to UV light in conjunction with heating to 100 °C.

Dynamic amplification of light signals in photorefractive ferroelectric liquid crystalline mixtures.

The photorefractive effect in photoconductive ferroelectric liquid crystals that contain photoconductive chiral compounds was investigated. Terthiophene compounds with chiral structures were chosen as the photoconductive chiral compounds, and they were mixed with an achiral smectic C liquid crystal. The mixtures exhibit the ferroelectric chiral smectic C phase. The photorefractivity of the mixtures was investigated by two-beam coupling experiments. It was found that the ferroelectric liquid crystals containing the photoconductive chiral compound exhibit a large gain coefficient of over 1200 cm(-1) and a fast response time of 1 ms. Real-time dynamic amplification of an optical image signal of over 30 fps using the photorefractive ferroelectric liquid crystal was demonstrated.