Synthesis of main chain-type liquid crystalline polyrotaxanes: influence of the wheel components and their mobility on liquid crystalline properties

Main chain-type liquid crystalline (LC) polyrotaxanes were synthesized via the ene-thiol copolymerization of pseudorotaxane and LC monomers. The effects of the rotaxane moiety and its content on LC properties were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry. Introduction of the rotaxane moiety on the LC polymer reduced the stabilization of the LC phase. Neutralization of the rotaxane moiety also destabilized the LC phase, probably due to the movable wheel components of the rotaxane on the axle LC polymer chain.