Halogen-bonded mesogens direct polymer self-assemblies up to millimetre length scale

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Supramolecular Chemistry

Background:

• Aligning polymeric nanostructures to the macroscale is a significant challenge in materials science.
• Existing methods often lack facile control over self-assembly and macroscopic alignment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a novel strategy for aligning polymeric self-assemblies from the nanoscale to the millimeter scale.
• To explore the potential of halogen bonding in directing macroscopic polymer organization.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing halogen bonding to connect mesogenic 1-iodoperfluoroalkanes to a star-shaped ethyleneglycol-based polymer with chloride end-groups.
• Investigating the self-assembly behavior and resulting nanostructure formation.
• Characterizing the macroscopic alignment achieved through this supramolecular approach.

Main Results:

• Nanoscale organization of mesogens within polymer self-assemblies guided macroscopic alignment up to millimeter scales.
• Formation of parallel-stacked mesogen domains with approximately 10 nm periodicity.
• Observation of novel supramolecular halogen-bonded polymeric liquid crystallinity upon heating.

Conclusions:

• The developed strategy offers a facile and generic approach for aligning polymer self-assemblies.
• Halogen bonding, mesogen stacking, and interfacial curvature control are key factors in achieving macroscopic alignment.
• This method holds potential for creating ordered polymeric materials with tunable properties.