TUBULAR ARCHITECTURES FROM POLYMERS WITH TAPERED SIDE-GROUPS - ASSEMBLY OF SIDE-GROUPS VIA A RIGID HELICAL CHAIN CONFORMATION AND FLEXIBLE HELICAL CHAIN CONFORMATION INDUCED VIA ASSEMBLY OF SIDE-GROUPS

Syntheses of N-[3,4,5-tris(n-dodecan-1-yloxy)phenyl] maleimide (6) and exo, exo-5,6-bis [[[3,4,5-tris(n-dodecan- )benzoyl]oxy]methyl]-7-oxab icyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ene (16) and their polymerization by radical, anio nic and ring opening metathesis polymerizations, respectively, to yiel d the corresponding polymers 7 and 17 are described. Regardless of the polymerization method by which it was synthesized, 7 produced a hexag onal columnar (Phi(h)) liquid crystalline phase generated from the tub ular architecture of the rigid 7/2 helical chain conformation surround ed by its tapered side groups. 17 also produces a Phi(h) phase. Howeve r, in this case, the assembly of tapered side groups of 17 into a tubu lar architecture induced a 3/1 helical chain conformation of its own f lexible backbone. These two experiments support the model in which pol ymers containing tapered side groups form tubular supramolecular archi tectures by inducing a flexible helical chain conformation during the self-assembly of their own tapered side groups or by favoring the self -assembly of tapered side groups when a suitable rigid helical chain c onformation is adopted by their own backbone.