Abstract
Nanostructured free-standing films were obtained by polymerisation of lyotropic liquid crystal phases based on the monomer 3,4,5-tris(11′-acryloyloxyundecyloxy)benzoate. The structure of these films was investigated by X-ray diffraction. No change of the lattice due to the polymerisation procedure was observed. The low water content (below 10 wt.-%) of the liquid crystals in combination with the observed hexagonal lattice reveal that a reversed hexagonal structure (H2 phase) is present. Different types of films were investigated, obtained by varying the preparation conditions of the used lyotropic liquid crystals, such as water content, type of metal-counterion and length of the monomer. The lattice constant was found to be independent of the water content. It seems that at low water content of 8 wt.-% the lyotropic structure is still fully hydrated. This unusual behaviour is related to the tapered structure of the monomer which is composed of by a small headgroup and three extended tails for each headgroup. The lattice constant can be changed by using differently charged metal-counterions which are associated with the headgroup, as well as by varying the length of the tails on the monomer. Low resolution electron density maps of the hexagonal lattice give deeper insight in the arrangement of the monomers within the polymerised structure.
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