Z/E Effect on Phase Behavior of Main-Chain Liquid Crystalline Polymers Bearing AIEgens

The structure–property relationship of luminescent liquid crystalline polymers (LLCPs) with AIEgens has attracted much attention. However, the effect of the AIEgen configuration on the properties is still unclear because of the difficulty in designing LLCPs with a single configuration. In addition, it is expected that this effect can be amplified through constructing the AIEgen on the backbone of LLCPs. Herein, for the first time, we have synthesized two kinds of main-chain polyesters with a single configuration of an AIEgen, E-PM7 and Z-PM7, via melt polycondensation. Interestingly, E-PM7 shows two coexisting phases of rectangular columnar and smectic liquid crystalline phases, whereas Z-PM7 exhibits no liquid crystalline properties. Moreover, E-PM7 with AIE behavior and liquid crystalline properties can be used to prepare fluorescent patterns printed on flexible films and glass substrates through the photocyclization of AIE units, which endows this kind of material with promising applications ranging from anti-counterfeiting to information storage.