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Title
Japanese: 
English:Recyclable Cross-Linking of Liquid-Crystalline Polymers Grafted from Nanorod Surfaces by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization 
Author
Japanese: Kaho Nakano, 相沢 美帆, 久野 恭平, Yumiko Naka, 福島 孝典, 宍戸 厚, 久保 祥一.  
English: Kaho Nakano, Miho Aizawa, Kyohei Hisano, Yumiko Naka, Takanori Fukushima, Atsushi Shishido, Shoichi Kubo.  
Language English 
Journal/Book name
Japanese: 
English:ACS Applied Polymer Materials 
Volume, Number, Page Volume 8    Issue 7    Page 4705–4712
Published date Mar. 19, 2026 
Publisher
Japanese: 
English: 
Conference name
Japanese: 
English: 
Conference site
Japanese: 
English: 
Official URL https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.5c04522
 
DOI https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.5c04522
Abstract Anisotropic functional materials demand stable molecular alignment. Cross-linked liquid-crystalline (LC) polymers provide such stability but sacrifice recyclability due to permanent networks. Here, we introduce a hybrid design in which LC polymers grafted from nanorods give rise to pseudocross-linking behavior, enabling alignment stability without chemical cross-linking. Shear-aligned films composed solely of these hybrid nanorods show a cooperative uniaxial alignment and reversible optical anisotropy. In these films, the aligned nanorods preserve the polymer entanglement in the isotropic state, allowing mesogen alignment to recover upon cooling and producing a reversible “memory effect.” The films also remain soluble, enabling redispersion and refabrication while retaining optical anisotropy, and exhibit enhanced mechanical stiffness derived from nanorod incorporation. This approach offers a versatile pathway to recyclable yet alignment-stable LC polymer systems through synergistic coupling between inorganic nanorods and LC polymer chains.

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