(336b) Anisotropic Solvent-Aligned Polymerization

Conventional polymer chain alignment approaches have mainly utilized in-situ polymerization or (partially) melting/post-crosslinking of polymers in external fields or hard geometrical nanoconfinement to achieve polymer chain alignment in intrinsically crystalline polymers. However, aligning intrinsically amorphous polymers presents challenges as these polymers rapidly and irreversibly relax into a random coil conformation upon heating and lack the necessary molecular motifs to preserve the desired aligned conformation and achieve reversible conformational change for shape memory behaviors. In this presentation, I will introduce an innovative approach utilizing non-reactive thermotropic liquid crystals (LCs) to govern polymer chain conformations in intrinsically amorphous polymers, unlocking novel physicochemical properties, particularly two-way shape memory behaviors. My talk will discuss the interplay of LC phase, polymerization temperature, solvent choice during LC removal and polymer chain conformation. The implications extend beyond polymers into liquid crystal elastomers, shape memory materials, and other fields.