Effects of CO2 pressure on isotropic transition of amphiphilic side-chain type liquid crystalline di-block copolymers

The effects of high pressure carbon dioxide (CO2) on the isotropic transition of three different amphiphilic di-block copolymers, PEOm-b-PMA(Az)n, namely PEO114-b-PMA(Az)40, PEO272-b-PMA(Az)46 and PEO454-b-PMA(Az)47, and on PMA(Az)30 homopolymer have been investigated by scanning transitiometry. Under CO2 pressure, the isotropic transition temperature decreased with the increase of pressure up to around 30 MPa due to CO2 sorption and increased above 40 MPa. Transition entropy of the isotropic transition indicated that the depression of the isotropic transition temperature was caused by the adsorption of CO2 into the azobenzene moieties and that the increase above 40 MPa was caused by the desorption of CO2 into the azobenzene moieties. Comparison between PEOm-b-PMA(Az)n copolymers and PMA(Az) homopolymer clarified PEO domain acted CO2 pathway to approach the equilibrium state rapidly.