Nonwoven Materials Produced by Melt Electrospinning of Polypropylene Filled with Calcium Carbonate

Nowadays, polypropylene-based nonwovens are used in many areas, from filtration to medicine. One of the methods for obtaining such materials is melt electrospinning. In some cases, it is especially interesting to produce composite fibers with a high degree of filling. In this work, the influence of the filling degree of isotactic polypropylene with calcium carbonate on the structure and properties of nonwoven materials obtained by melt electrospinning was studied. It was shown that electrospinning is possible, even at a filler content of 50%, while the average diameter of the fibers increases with the growth in the content of calcium carbonate. The addition of sodium stearate significantly reduces the diameter of the fibers (from 10–65 to 2–10 microns) due to reducing viscosity and increasing the electrical conductivity of the melt. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction analysis and IR spectroscopy reveal that the initial polymer and composites are characterized by the presence of stable α-form crystals, while nonwovens show a predominance of smectic mesophase. The addition of calcium carbonate leads to an increase in the hydrophobicity of the composite films, the addition of sodium stearate results in a decrease of hydrophobicity, while all nonwovens demonstrate superhydrophobic properties.

Supermolecular Structure of Poly(Butylene Terephthalate) Fibers Formed with the Addition of Reduced Graphene Oxide

Nanocomposite fibers based on poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) were prepared using a method able to disperse graphene in one step into a polymer matrix. The studies were performed for fibers containing four different concentrations of rGO at different take-up velocities. The supermolecular structures of the fibers at the crystallographic and lamellar levels were examined by means of calorimetric and X-ray scattering methods (DSC, WAXS, and SAXS). It was found that the fiber structure is mainly influenced by the take-up velocity. Fibers spun at low and medium take-up velocities contained a crystalline α-form, whereas the fibers spun at a high take-up velocity contained a smectic mesophase. During annealing, the smectic phase transformed into its α-form. The degree of transformation depended on the rGO content. Reduced graphene mainly hindered the crystallization of PBT by introducing steric obstacles confining the ordering of the macromolecules of PBT.

Design of new Schiff base polymers containing thiadiazole rings and study of their liquid crystalline behavior

New liquid crystalline thiadiazole dibenzaldehyde monomers labeled as THDB1–THDB3 were successfully synthesized by alkylation of thiadiazole’s potassium salt with 4-(bromomethyl) benzaldehyde. A number of polymers consisting of thiadiazole and azomethine coded PTDAZ1–PTDAZ5 were synthesized via condensation reaction of the presynthesized monomers THDB1–THDB3 with aromatic diamines. The chemical structures of the prepared materials were confirmed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and proton nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. The liquid crystalline behavior of the studied monomers and polymers was examined by differential scanning calorimetry and hot stage polarized optical microscopy (POM) techniques. All these compounds were found to demonstrate mesomorphic transitions belonging to smectic and nematic liquid crystals. The studied monomers exhibited fan-like texture of smectic mesophase under POM cooling investigation. Fan-like texture of smectic and nematic mesophases was observed under POM for PTDAZ1 and PTDAZ2, while PTDAZ3 and PTDAZ4 revealed clay and schlieren textures of the smectic and nematic mesophases, respectively, and nematic texture has been found for the polymer PTDAZ5.

Molecular and Segmental Orientational Order in a Smectic Mesophase of a Thermotropic Ionic Liquid Crystal

We investigate conformational dynamics in the smectic A phase formed by the mesogenic ionic liquid 1-tetradecyl-3-methylimidazolium nitrate. Solid-state high-resolution 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra are recorded in the sample with the mesophase director aligned in the magnetic field of the NMR spectrometer. The applied NMR method, proton encoded local field spectroscopy, delivers heteronuclear dipolar couplings of each 13C spin to its 1H neighbours. From the analysis of the dipolar couplings, orientational order parameters of the C–H bonds along the hydrocarbon chain were determined. The estimated value of the molecular order parameter S is significantly lower compared to that in smectic phases of conventional non-ionic liquid crystals.

Supramolecular liquid crystalline dendrimers with a porphyrin core and functional carboxylic acid dendrons

Supramolecular dendrimers prepared via H-bonding between porphyrin core and bifunctionalised dendrons, incorporated in the periphery, display photoluminescence properties and self-assembly into smectic mesophase.

Mesomorphism Dependence on Molecular Flexibility at Constant Rigidity

A Novel homologous series of high transition temperature RO-C6H4-CH=CH-COO-C6H4-N=CH-CH=CH-C6H5 has been synthesis and studied with a view to understand establish and evaluate the relation between liquid crystal properties and the molecular structure of a substance. A series consists of thirteen homologues. All the homologues are mesogenic. Smectic mesophase commences from C12 to C18 homologues. Nematic mesophase appears from C1 to C18 homologues. The textures of a nematic phases are of threaded or schlieren and that of the smectic phase are focal conic fan shaped of smectic-A or C type. Transition temperatures and textures were determined by an optical polarizing microscopy equipped with a heating stage. The analytical and spectral data confirms the molecular structures of homologues. Thermal stability for smectic and nematic are 118.5 0C and 224.77 °C, whose total mesophase length ranger from 73.0 °C to 111 °C. The liquid crystal properties from homologue to homologue varies in the same series. Some liquid crystal properties of present series are compared with the structurally similar known homologous series. Present novel homologous series is partly smectogenic and fully nematogenic and of higher ordered melting type and high thermal stability

Synthesis and Characterization of Liquid Crystalline Polysiloxanes Containing Terminal Fluoromethyl Groups

A series of liquid crystalline (LC) polysiloxanes (PI-PV) were prepared by use of poly(methylhydrogeno)siloxane and two kinds of terminal olefinic monomers. The chemical structures and liquid-crystalline properties of the synthesized materials were characterized by various experimental techniques. From PI to PV, the glass transition temperature and the isotropic temperature decreased slightly with increase of terminal fluoromethyl units in the polymer systems. All the monomers and polymers showed nematic phase with wide mesophase temperature ranges. The polymers PI, PII and PIII displayed single nematic mesophase, but PIV and PV bearing more terminal fluoromethyl units showed another smectic mesophase besides nematic mesophase.