Vertical Alignment of Liquid Crystals on Comb-Like Renewable Chavicol-Modified Polystyrene

This study demonstrates liquid crystal (LC) alignment behaviors on the surface of phytochemical-based and renewable chavicol-modified polystyrene (PCHA#, # = 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100, where # represent the molar content of chavicol moiety in the side group) via polymer modification reactions. Generally, a LC cell fabricated with a polymer film containing a high molar content of the chavicol side group exhibited a vertical LC alignment property. There is a correlation between the vertical alignment of LC molecules and the polar surface energy value of the polymer films. Therefore, vertical LC alignment was observed when the polar surface energy values of these polymer films were smaller than about 1.3 mJ/m2, induced by the nonpolar chavicol moiety having long and bulky carbon groups. Aligning stability under harsh conditions such as ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of about 5 J/cm2 was observed in the LC cells fabricated from PCHA100 film. Therefore, it was found that the plant-based chavicol-substituted polymer system can produce an eco-friendly and sustainable LC alignment layer for next-generation applications.

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Alignment Layer of Liquid Crystal Using Plant-Based Isoeugenol-Substituted Polystyrene

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13040547 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 547

Author(s):

DaEun Yang ◽

Kyutae Seo ◽

Hyo Kang

Keyword(s):

Liquid Crystal ◽

Surface Energy ◽

Polymer Film ◽

Uv Irradiation ◽

Molar Content ◽

Polymer Modification ◽

Alignment Layer ◽

Energy Value ◽

Alignment System ◽

Molar Percent

We synthesized a series of renewable and plant-based isoeugenol-substituted polystyrenes (PIEU#, # = 100, 80, 60, 40, and 20, where # is the molar percent content of isoeugenol moiety), using polymer modification reactions to study their liquid crystal (LC) alignment behavior. In general, the LC cells fabricated using polymer film with a higher molar content of isoeugenol side groups showed vertical LC alignment behavior. This alignment behavior was well related to the surface energy value of the polymer layer. For example, vertical alignments were observed when the polar surface energy value of the polymer was smaller than approximately 3.59 mJ/m2, generated by the nonpolar isoeugenol moiety with long and bulky carbon groups. Good alignment stability at 100 °C and under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of 15 J/cm2 was observed for the LC cells fabricated using PIEU100 as a LC alignment layer. Therefore, renewable isoeugenol-based materials can be used to produce an eco-friendly vertical LC alignment system.

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Effect of Position and Structure of the Terminal Moieties in the Side Group on the Liquid Crystal Alignment Behavior of Polystyrene Derivatives

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13162822 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (16) ◽

pp. 2822

Author(s):

DaEun Yang ◽

Kyutae Seo ◽

Hyo Kang

Keyword(s):

Liquid Crystal ◽

Surface Energy ◽

Polymer Films ◽

Side Group ◽

Polymer Modification ◽

Liquid Crystal Alignment ◽

Tert Butyl ◽

Tertiary Carbon ◽

Phenyl Rings ◽

Crystal Alignment

We synthesized a series of polystyrene derivatives containing various side groups, such as the 4-(tert-butyl)-phenoxymethyl, 3-(tert-butyl)-phenoxymethyl, 2-(tert-butyl)-phenoxymethyl, 4-cumyl-phenoxymethyl, and 4-trityl-phenoxymethyl groups, through a polymer modification reaction to examine the liquid crystal (LC) alignment of these derivatives. In general, the vertical LC alignment on polymer films can be affected by the position and structure of the terminal moiety of the polymer side group. For example, the LC cells fabricated with 4-(tert-butyl)-phenoxymethyl-substituted polystyrene having a tert-butyl moiety as a para-type attachment to the phenoxy groups of the polystyrene derivatives exhibited vertical LC alignment, whereas the LC cells prepared from 3-(tert-butyl)- and 2-(tert-butyl)-phenoxymethyl-substituted polystyrene films exhibited planar LC alignment. In addition, the LC cells fabricated from 4-cumyl- and 4-trityl-phenoxymethyl-substituted polystyrene films with additional phenyl rings in the side groups exhibited planar LC alignment, in contrast to the LC alignment of the (tert-butyl)-phenoxymethyl-substituted polystyrene series. The vertical LC orientation was well correlated with the surface energy of these polymer films. For example, vertical LC orientation, which mainly originates due to the nonpolar tertiary carbon moiety having bulky groups, was observed when the surface energy of the polymer was lower than 36.6 mJ/m2.

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Vertical Orientation of Liquid Crystal on 4-n-Alkyloxyphenoxymethyl-Substituted Polystyrene Containing Liquid Crystal Precursor

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13050736 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 736

Author(s):

Kyutae Seo ◽

Hyo Kang

Keyword(s):

Molecular Structure ◽

Liquid Crystal ◽

Surface Energy ◽

Polymer Films ◽

Ultraviolet Irradiation ◽

Molar Fraction ◽

Side Chain ◽

Polymer Modification ◽

Vertical Orientation ◽

Surface Energies

We synthesized a series of polystyrene derivatives that were modified with precursors of liquid crystal (LC) molecules, such as 4-ethyloxyphenol (homopolymer PEOP and copolymer PEOP#; # = 20, 40, 60, and 80, where # indicates the molar fraction of 4-ethyloxyphenoxymethyl in the side chain), 4-n-butyloxyphenol (PBOP), 4-n-hexyloxyphenol (PHOP), and 4-n-octyloxyphenol (POOP), via polymer modification reaction to investigate the orientation of LC molecules on polymer films, exhibiting part of the LC molecular structure. LC molecules showed a stable and uniform vertical orientation in LC cells fabricated with polymers that have 4-ethyloxyphenoxymethyl in the range of 40–100 mol%. In addition, similar results were obtained in LC cells fabricated with homopolymers of PEOP, PBOP, PHOP, and POOP. The vertical orientation of LC molecules in LC cells fabricated with polymer films correlated to the surface energy of polymer films. For example, vertical LC orientation was observed when the total surface energies of the polymer films were lower than approximately 43.2 mJ/m2. Good alignment stabilities were observed at 150 °C and 20 J/cm2 of ultraviolet irradiation for LC cells fabricated with PEOP film.

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Vertical Liquid Crystal Alignment of Comb-Like Alkyl Hydroxybenzoate-Substituted Polystyrene

Crystals ◽

10.3390/cryst9060281 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 281 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Changha Ju ◽

Shinwoo Kang ◽

Taehyung Kim ◽

Chanhyuk Park ◽

Hyo Kang

Keyword(s):

Liquid Crystal ◽

Surface Energy ◽

Polymer Film ◽

Polymer Films ◽

Molar Fraction ◽

Side Chain ◽

Alignment Layer ◽

Dc Voltage ◽

Alkyl Groups ◽

Crystal Alignment

We investigated the liquid crystal (LC) alignment behaviors of butyl hydroxybenzoate-substituted polystyrene (PBHB#; # = 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100, where # indicates the molar fraction of butyl hydroxybenzoate in the side chain), methyl hydroxybenzoate-substituted polystyrene (PMHB100), and ethyl hydroxybenzoate-substituted polystyrene (PEHB100). Generally, LC cells made employing polymer films having longer alkyl groups in the side chain show vertical LC alignment. For instance, a LC cell fabricated with the PMHB100 film showed random planar LC alignment, while the LC cells made from the PEHB100 and PBHB100 films exhibited vertical LC alignment. Moreover, LC cells prepared from a polymer film having a higher molar content of butyl hydroxybenzoate in the side chain exhibited vertical LC alignment. The observed vertical LC alignment behaviors are closely related to the surface energy of these polymer films. For instance, vertical LC alignment was observed when the surface energy of the polymer film was less than ~43.86 mJ/m2, which could result from the nonpolar alkyl groups of the alkyl hydroxybenzoate moiety. The LC cell prepared from PBHB100 as the LC alignment layer showed good electro-optical characteristics such as voltage holding ratio, residual DC voltage, and alignment stability at 200 °C.

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Vertical Orientation of Liquid Crystal on Polystyrene Substituted with n-Alkylbenzoate-p-oxymethyl Pendant Group as a Liquid Crystal Precursor

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13132058 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (13) ◽

pp. 2058

Author(s):

Kyutae Seo ◽

Hyo Kang

Keyword(s):

Contact Angle ◽

Liquid Crystal ◽

Water Contact Angle ◽

Polymer Films ◽

Molar Fraction ◽

Side Chain ◽

Pendant Group ◽

Polymer Modification ◽

Vertical Orientation ◽

Water Contact

We synthesized a series of polystyrene derivatives modified with precursors of liquid crystal (LC) molecules via polymer modification reactions. Thereafter, the orientation of the LC molecules on the polymer films, which possess part of the corresponding LC molecular structure, was investigated systematically. The precursors and the corresponding derivatives used in this study include ethyl-p-hydroxybenzoate (homopolymer P2BO and copolymer P2BO#, where # indicates the molar fraction of ethylbenzoate-p-oxymethyl in the side chain (# = 20, 40, 60, and 80)), n-butyl-p-hydroxybenzoate (P4BO), n-hexyl-p-hydroxybenzoate (P6BO), and n-octyl-p-hydroxybenzoate (P8BO). A stable and uniform vertical orientation of LC molecules was observed in LC cells fabricated with P2BO#, with 40 mol% or more ethylbenzoate-p-oxymethyl side groups. In addition, the LC molecules were oriented vertically in LC cells fabricated with homopolymers of P2BO, P4BO, P6BO, and P8BO. The water contact angle on the polymer films can be associated with the vertical orientation of the LC molecules in the LC cells fabricated with the polymer films. For example, vertical LC orientation was observed when the water contact angle of the polymer films was greater than ~86°. Good orientation stability was observed at 150 °C and with 20 J/cm2 of UV irradiation for LC cells fabricated with the P2BO film.

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Effect of contact surface, plasticized and crosslinked zein films are cast on, on the distribution of dispersive and polar surface energy using the Van Oss method of deconvolution

Journal of Food Engineering ◽

10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2019.07.001 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 263 ◽

pp. 262-271 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Morgan J. Malm ◽

Ganesan Narsimhan ◽

Jozef L. Kokini

Keyword(s):

Surface Energy ◽

Contact Surface ◽

Polar Surface

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Vertical liquid crystal orientation of phytochemical-based oryzanol modified polystyrene

RSC Advances ◽

10.1039/c7ra12667k ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 1569-1575 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Taehyung Kim ◽

Changha Ju ◽

Hyo Kang

Keyword(s):

Liquid Crystal ◽

Polymer Films ◽

Crystal Orientation ◽

Polystyrene Film ◽

Modified Polystyrene ◽

Liquid Crystal Orientation

The liquid crystal (LC) orientation properties on phytochemical oryzanol modified polystyrene film were investigated. This can contribute to development of eco-friendly LC orientation layers based on bioavailable resources containing polymer films.

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