Synthesis of Liquid Crystal Elastomers Functionalized with an Amino Cinnamate

Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are materials that combine the property of molecular order with rubber elasticity. When the liquid crystal (LC) units are well aligned, these materials experience significant, reversible shape change under exposure to heat or light. Current methods for alignment remain limited. A method for obtaining LCEs with little restriction on alignment will enable advancement of the field of programmable polymer materials. The approach of this project is to develop a technique for LCE alignment by incorporating UV light responsive cinnamate derivatives into the LCE. Over the past summer, cinnamates functionalized with free amines and amine salts were tested for incorporation in LCEs using the aza-Michael addition reaction. FTIR kinetics studies were performed on these reactions to determine the reaction rates of the amines. From the results, the amine salts did not incorporate while the free amines successfully underwent the reaction.