Side chain thermotropic liquid crystalline polysulfone obtained from polysulfone udel by chemical modification

Polysulfone udel was chemically functionalized with chloromethylene functional groups via the chloromethylation reaction. A new azomethine dimesogen containing one phenolic hydroxyl functional group was recently synthesized and proved to exhibit a large nematic mesophase range in the liquid state. Further reaction of the dimesogen with the functionalized polysulfone using a transquaternization reaction led to new polysulfones bearing pendant rigid dimesogenic units––no spacer being involved in the chemical design of the polymer. The polymers were characterized by IR, 1H NMR spectroscopy techniques, and their thermotropic liquid crystallinity behaviour was studied by optical polarizing microscopy (PLM) and DSC measurements. Enantiotropic nematic mesophases were observed under the PLM. A dependence of the melting temperature on the degree of substitution was noticed.