Conjugated Polymer Films Having a Uniaxial Molecular Orientation and Network Structure Prepared by Electrochemical Polymerization in Liquid Crystals

A new method for fabricating conjugated polymer films was developed using electrochemical polymerization in liquid crystals and magnetic orientation. A uniaxial main chain orientation and a crosslinked network structure were achieved with this method. By employing eight types of monomers, the influence of the crosslinking for the film was investigated. The crosslinking was found to improve the solvent resistance of the conjugated polymer films. This new method is expected to be useful in various applications, such as high-powered organic electronic devices with durability.

Ordered polymer composite materials: challenges and opportunities

Polymer nanocomposites containing nanoscale fillers are an important class of materials due to their ability to access a wide variety of properties as a function of their composition. In order to take full advantage of these properties, it is critical to control the distribution of nanofillers within the parent polymer matrix, as this structural organization affects how the two constituent components interact with one another. In particular, new methods for generating ordered arrays of nanofillers represent a key underexplored research area, as emergent properties arising from nanoscale ordering can be used to introduce novel functionality currently inaccessible in random composites. The knowledge gained from developing such methods will provide important insight into the thermodynamics and kinetics associated with nanomaterial and polymer assembly. These insights will not only benefit researchers working on new composite materials, but will also deepen our understanding of soft matter systems in general. In this review, we summarize contemporary research efforts in manipulating nanofiller organization in polymer nanocomposites and highlight future challenges and opportunities for constructing ordered nanocomposite materials.

Linearly polarized emission from self-assembled microstructures of mesogenic polythiophenes

Polarized electroluminescence from ordered mesogenic polythiophenes.