Corona Liquid Crystalline Order Helps to Form Single Crystals When Self-Assembly Takes Place in the Crystalline/Liquid Crystalline Block Copolymers

Crystalline/ionic liquid crystalline block copolymers (BCPs) with various compositions have been successfully prepared by sequential reactions. The effect of corona liquid crystalline order on self-assembly of BCPs in selective solvent is investigated in detail. It is found that two-dimensional single crystals with well-developed shapes are formed when the liquid crystalline order is present. By contrast, ill-developed platelets with small size or one-dimensional worm-like micelles are assembled if the liquid crystalline order of the corona segments is lost. It is speculated that the preferred parallel arrangement of liquid crystalline block enables it to expose more growth front of crystals. Accordingly, epitaxial crystallization will proceed readily, leading to fabrication of the well-defined single crystals.