Xiaomin Zhu, Maxim A. Scherbina, A. Bakirov
Aug 26, 2006
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Journal
Chemistry of Materials
Abstract
The synthesis of 2,3,4-tris(11‘-methacryloylundecyl-1‘-oxy)benzenesulfonic acid and its sodium salt is described. The thermal behavior of the compounds was investigated by a combination of polarizing optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The sodium salt forms a hexagonal columnar disordered phase (Colhd), whereas the acid is a crystalline compound. X-ray scattering analysis and force-field-based molecular modeling provided insight into the molecular arrangement in the mesophase. The sulfonate groups are confined in the center of the columns, preforming a potential ion-transport channel along the column axis. Thin films of the sodium sulfonate were photopolymerized in the mesomorphous state, yielding free-standing foils with embedded potential ion channels.