Self-assembly and antistatic property of ionic liquid crystalline polymers

Series of ionic liquid crystalline polymers (ILCPs) containing bipyridinium groups were synthesized by ionic self-assembly technology, and the chemical structure, self-assembly behavior, liquid crystalline property, and antistatic property were investigated by various techniques. All the polymers exhibit good thermotropic liquid crystal on heating cycle. The precursor bromo-polyesters displayed nematic phase, but the ILCPs (IPPy-Br, IPP-BF4 and IPP-PF6 series) containing bipyridine groups and different counter-anions showed smectic C phase. The effects of different counter-ions on liquid crystalline behavior were discussed in this study. The antistatic properties of these ILCPs were investigated by a four-probe measuring instrument. The surface resistivity was slight sensitivity to the surface water absorption due to the special structure of conductive channels of these ILCPs. It was found that all these ILCPs exhibited superior antistatic performance and ionic conductivity properties. In these ILCPs containing Br-, BF4- and PF6- counter-ions, the IPPy-BF4 series of polymers with BF4- showed the maximum conductivity due to the influence of the BF4- anion in the ordered structure.

Automated summary

A series of ILCPs containing bipyridinium groups were synthesized by ionic self-assembly technology, and their chemical structure, self-assembly behavior, liquid crystalline property, and antistatic property were investigated. The ILCPs exhibited good thermotropic liquid crystal properties on heating cycle, and the ILCPs with BF4- counter-ion showed the maximum ionic conductivity.