Lignin-based macroinitiator was synthesized by nucleophilic substitution reaction of lignin and 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide
which was used to initiate atom transfer radical polymerization of an azobenzene-containing monomer to obtain a series of lignin-graft photoresponsive liquid crystalline copolymers. The molecular structures and molecular weights of the graft copolymers were confirmed by
1
H-NMR
FTIR and GPC. The thermal properties of lignin-graft azobenzene-containing copolymers showed improved behaviors superior to that of unmodified lignin by measurements of thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Furthermore
the modified lignin-graft azo copolymers exhibited liquid crystalline behaviors once their average grafting ratio were higher than 72.8% and the molecular weights of lignin-graft azo copolymer were higher than 19500 correspondingly. The liquid crystalline phases of lignin-graft azobenzene copolymers were shown to be the smetic C phase and the layer spacing was 3.21 nm evaluated by small-angel X-ray scattering (SAXS) and polarizing optical micrograph (POM). Moreover
the photoresponsive properties of lignin-based liquid crystalline copolymers were investigated using UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy
and the lignin-graft liquid crystalline copolymers in solution were more sensitive than that of the as-cast films. Photochemical liquid crystal to isotropic phase transition of the copolymer was successfully obtained upon UV irradiation
and the reversible isotropic to liquid crystal phase transition was exhibited rapidly when it was exposed to visible light.
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