Supramolecular Association and Nanostructure Formation of Liquid Crystals and Polymers for New Functional Materials
Takashi Kato, Monika Gupta, Daisuke Yamaguchi, Kian Ping Gan, Masanari Nakayama
Abstract
Abstract We here describe our various concepts and achievements for material science, which have been introduced through liquid-crystalline (LC) and polymer chemistry. They have resulted in the development of new classes of functional organic, polymer, and hybrid materials. Supramolecular LC complexes and polymers with well-defined structures were found to be built through complimentary hydrogen bonding between carboxylic acid and pyridine. Since then, a variety of intermolecular interactions such as hydrogen bonding, ionic interactions, ion-dipolar interactions, and halogen bonding were used for the formation of supramolecular liquid crystal organic materials and polymers. The nanosegregation in molecular assemblies in liquid crystals leads to the various 1D, 2D and 3D self-assembled nanostructures. These strategy and material designs lead to the development of new dynamically functional materials, which exhibit stimuli-responsive properties, photoluminescence, transport of charge, ions, and molecules, electro-optic properties, and templates. We also show new hybrid liquid crystals, biomineral-inspired nanorod and nanodisk liquid crystals. These nanomaterials form colloidal LC solutions, which exhibit stimuli-responsive properties.