title: Liquid-crystalline supramolecular polymers formed through complementary nucleobase-pair interactions.
abstract: We report how the placement of nucleobase units, thymine, or N6-(4-methoxybenzoyl)adenine, onto the ends of a mesogenic core, bis-4-alkoxy-substituted bis(phenylethynyl)benzene, affects the properties of these materials. We show that addition of these bulky polar groups significantly reduces the range of liquid-crystalline behavior of these compounds. However, mixing two complementary nucleobase-containing AA- and BB-type monomer units together does result in the formation of stable, thermotropic liquid-crystalline (LC) phases. Hydrogen bonding is shown to play an important role in the formation of these LC phases, consistent with the formation of oligomeric or polymeric hydrogen-bonded aggregates. X-ray analyses of these mixed materials are consistent with the formation of smectic C phases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 2100 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH 44106-7202, USA.
authors.forename: Sona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sivakova
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Cheryl J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Campo
authors.forename: Patrick T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Mather
authors.forename: Stuart J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Rowan
mesh_terms: D000225:Adenine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry; D020029:Base Pairing; D001554:Benzene / Q000737:chemistry; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry*; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D013941:Thymine / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D011108:Polymers; D001554:Benzene; D000225:Adenine; D013941:Thymine