Crystallization of polymer chains under anisotropic confinement in liquid crystals (B16*)

• Subject Area: Preparatory and Physical Chemistry of Polymers ; Experimental and Theoretical Physics of Polymers ; Physical Chemistry of Molecules, Liquids and Interfaces, Biophysical Chemistry
• Term: from 2019 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 189853844

The incorporation of crystallizable hydrophobic polymers in lyotropic liquid crystals will be investigated. The aim is to understand how the variables of the polymer/liquid crystal system such as monomer type, polymer length, thickness and molecular structure of the confinement, affect the partition of the polymer chains in the liquid crystalline hydrophobic region and ultimately their crystallization. The investigation will be done by characterizing the structure and dynamics of the polymer chains, above and below the crystallization temperature, using a combination of solid-state NMR, MD simulations, DSC, and X-ray scattering techniques.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 102: Polymers under Multiple Constraints: Restricted and Controlled Molecular Order and Mobility
• Applicant Institution: Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
• Project Head: Tiago Mendes Ferreira, Ph.D.