title: Formation of fibril structures in polymerizable, rod-coil-oligomer-modified epoxy networks.
abstract: This paper describes the in situ preparation of fibrils in epoxy networks in which the fibril-like structures are cured polymerizable rod-coil oligomers. The epoxy-terminated alpha,omega-modified PEO oligomers, which are ABA rod-coil-rod oligomers with a poly(ethylene oxide) coil unit and two aromatic azomethine liquid-crystalline rod units, were synthesized and then further blended with an epoxy precursor. Uniform nanoscale columnar structures were observed in the neat rod-coil oligomers as well as in the crosslinked liquid-crystalline state. During the curing of the blends, the supramolecular nanoscale columnar structures of the rod-coil oligomers are transformed into polymeric fibrils where the epoxy functional end groups have co-reacted with epoxy precursors to form a crosslinked network.
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Ministry of Education and Department of Macromolecular Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China. yfyu@fudan.edu.cn
authors.forename: Yingfeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Zongyong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Guozhu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shanjun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wenjun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gan
authors.forename: James V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Crivello