TY - JOUR
T1 - Controlled shape memory behavior of a smectic main-chain liquid crystalline elastomer
AU - Li, Yuzhan
AU - Pruitt, Cole
AU - Rios, Orlando
AU - Wei, Liqing
AU - Rock, Mitch
AU - Keum, Jong K.
AU - Mcdonald, Armando G.
AU - Kessler, Michael R.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 American Chemical Society.
PY - 2015/5/12
Y1 - 2015/5/12
N2 - A smectic main-chain liquid crystalline elastomer (LCE), with controlled shape memory behavior, is synthesized by polymerizing a biphenyl-based epoxy monomer with an aliphatic carboxylic acid curing agent. Microstructures of the LCEs, including their liquid crystallinity and cross-linking density, are modified by adjusting the stoichiometric ratio of the reactants to tailor the thermomechanical properties and shape memory behavior of the material. Thermal and liquid crystalline properties of the LCEs, characterized using differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis, and structural analysis, performed using small-angle and wide-angle X-ray scattering, show that liquid crystallinity, cross-linking density, and network rigidity are strongly affected by the stoichiometry of the curing reaction. With appropriate structural modifications it is possible to tune the thermal, dynamic mechanical, and thermomechanical properties as well as the shape memory and thermal degradation behavior of LCEs.
AB - A smectic main-chain liquid crystalline elastomer (LCE), with controlled shape memory behavior, is synthesized by polymerizing a biphenyl-based epoxy monomer with an aliphatic carboxylic acid curing agent. Microstructures of the LCEs, including their liquid crystallinity and cross-linking density, are modified by adjusting the stoichiometric ratio of the reactants to tailor the thermomechanical properties and shape memory behavior of the material. Thermal and liquid crystalline properties of the LCEs, characterized using differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis, and structural analysis, performed using small-angle and wide-angle X-ray scattering, show that liquid crystallinity, cross-linking density, and network rigidity are strongly affected by the stoichiometry of the curing reaction. With appropriate structural modifications it is possible to tune the thermal, dynamic mechanical, and thermomechanical properties as well as the shape memory and thermal degradation behavior of LCEs.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84929192710&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1021/acs.macromol.5b00519
DO - 10.1021/acs.macromol.5b00519
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84929192710
SN - 0024-9297
VL - 48
SP - 2864
EP - 2874
JO - Macromolecules
JF - Macromolecules
IS - 9
ER -