Synthesis and characterization of side-chain liquid crystalline homopolymers and block copolymers containing biphenyl-4-ylthiophene and biphenyl-4-ylfluorene pendants

A series of new liquid crystalline homopolymers (P1 and P2) and block copolymers (P3 and P4) composed of methacrylates containing pendant biphenyl-4-ylthiophene (M1) and biphenyl-4-ylfluorene (M2) units were synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The number-average molecular weights (Mn) of the homopolymer (P2) and diblock copolymers (P3 and P4) were in the range of 5153–8713 g mol−1 with polydispersity indices (PDIs) between 1.17 and 1.25. The thermal, mesogenic, and photoluminescence (PL) properties of all polymers were investigated. Except for the absence of mesogenic properties in block copolymer P4, polymers P1 and P3 possessed the smectic A phase and polymer P2 exhibited the nematic phase. Moreover, the mesomorphism and the layer d-spacing values of the smectic A phase in polymers P1 and P3 were confirmed and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns.