Side Chain Liquid Crystalline Polyoxetanes with a Spacer-Separated Azobenzene Moiety. I. Preparation and Characterization

Article abstract of DOI:10.1246/bcsj.66.1778

Several oxetane derivatives carrying the azobenzene moiety at the C-3 position of the oxetane ring through the spacer arms of differing lengths were prepared by a substitution reaction of the corresponding bromide or p-toluenesulfonate residue of the oxetane with 4-hydroxyazobenzenes.The polymers of these oxetane derivatives were readily obtained by cationic ring-opening polymerization using the adequately increased amount of a THF*BF3 complex as an initiator at 20-30 deg C.The liquid crystalline property of the polymers thus obtained were examined by differential scanning calorimetry and by optical polarized microscopy.From these measurements the influences of the p'-substituted azobenzene and of the spacer arm on the liquid crystalline property were found.