TY - JOUR
T1 - New side-chain liquid crystalline terpolymers with anhydrous conductivity
T2 - Effect of azobenzene substitution on light response and charge transfer
AU - Mohd Alauddin, Sakinah
AU - Ramadan Ibrahim, A.
AU - Aripin, Nurul Fadhilah Kamalul
AU - Velayutham, Thamil Selvi
AU - Abou-Zied, Osama K.
AU - Martinez-Felipe, Alfonso
N1 - Funding Information:
SMA and NFKA would like to acknowledge Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education, for the grant number 600-IRMI/FRGS 5/3 (374/2019). OKAZ and ARI would like to acknowledge the Sultan Qaboos University, by its support through His Majesty’s Trust Fund for Strategic Research (SR/SCI/CHEM/18/01) and Omantel fund (EG/SQU-OT/19/1). TSV acknowledges financial support from the University of Malaya for the RU grant [ST001-2020]. AMF would like to thank the Royal Academy of Engineering, U.K., for the grant NRCP1516/4/61 (Newton Research Collaboration Programme), the University of Aberdeen, for the award of the grant SF10192, the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, for the Research Incentive Grant RIG008586, the Royal Society and Specac Ltd., for the Research Grant RGS\R1\201397, and the Royal Society of Chemistry for the award of a mobility grant (M19-0000). AMF and TSV further acknowledge University Malaya for travelling support.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2021/3/5
Y1 - 2021/3/5
N2 - We have prepared and characterised a series of side-chain liquid crystalline homopolymers and terpolymers containing different azobenzene derivatives (RAzB), sulfonic groups (2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid, AMPS), and methyl(methacrylate) groups (MMA), as monomeric units. We have evaluated the effect of different para-substitutes of 6-(4-azobenzene -4′-oxy)hexyl methacrylate, at the side chains, OCH3, NO2 and H, on the phase behaviour and conductivity of the new polymers. The copolymers can form smectic and nematic phases, depending on their composition, and have light responsiveness, conferred by the azobenzene chromophores. The terpolymer with methoxy terminations, MeOAzB/AMPS/MMA, exhibits the highest conductivity values of the series (10−2/10−3 S·cm−1 range) through liquid crystalline phases and with signs of decoupling from polymeric segmental motions. These materials are promising candidates to develop new light-responsive polymeric electrolytes for electrochemical conversion devices in which ionic conductivity under anhydrous conditions can be controlled by their nanostructure.
AB - We have prepared and characterised a series of side-chain liquid crystalline homopolymers and terpolymers containing different azobenzene derivatives (RAzB), sulfonic groups (2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid, AMPS), and methyl(methacrylate) groups (MMA), as monomeric units. We have evaluated the effect of different para-substitutes of 6-(4-azobenzene -4′-oxy)hexyl methacrylate, at the side chains, OCH3, NO2 and H, on the phase behaviour and conductivity of the new polymers. The copolymers can form smectic and nematic phases, depending on their composition, and have light responsiveness, conferred by the azobenzene chromophores. The terpolymer with methoxy terminations, MeOAzB/AMPS/MMA, exhibits the highest conductivity values of the series (10−2/10−3 S·cm−1 range) through liquid crystalline phases and with signs of decoupling from polymeric segmental motions. These materials are promising candidates to develop new light-responsive polymeric electrolytes for electrochemical conversion devices in which ionic conductivity under anhydrous conditions can be controlled by their nanostructure.
KW - Azobenzene
KW - Energy conversion
KW - Ionic conductivity
KW - Polymer electrolytes
KW - Side-chain liquid crystal polymers
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U2 - 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2020.110246
DO - 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2020.110246
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85099614490
SN - 0014-3057
VL - 146
JO - European Polymer Journal
JF - European Polymer Journal
M1 - 110246
ER -