High-performance family of polymeric particles prepared from poly(phenylene oxide)-poly(hexyl isocyanate) liquid crystal block copolymer: synthesis and properties study

The poly (phenylene oxide)-block-poly (hexyl isocyanate) copolymers (PPO-b-PHIC)s were synthesized in various ratios of blocks using the organotitanium coordination method at room temperature. The copolymer particles were prepared by precipitation of concentrated solution of the copolymers in non-solvent under stirring. The synthesized copolymers and their particles were characterized by H-1 and C-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (H-1 and C-13 NMR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscope (POM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The effect of block ratio on the anisotropic-isotropic transition and liquid crystal texture of copolymers as a function of temperature and concentration of the solution was investigated. The polymeric particles tend to be aligned along the fibrillar direction by increasing the block ratio of amide in the copolymer.