Synthesis of Polymer Brush Containing Discotic Liquid–Crystalline Moieties in the Side Chains

Abstract

Discotic liquid–crystalline (LC) molecules form one-dimensional columnar structures through π-π interactions. However, controlling the stacking direction of columnar structures is so difficult that it has been a challenge of many research groups. In this work, we synthesized polymer brushes containing LC perylene diimide moieties in the side chains by surface–initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI–ATRP) to control the stacking direction.