Trial Manufacture of Nanofibers Made from a Main-Chain Liquid-Crystalline Elastomer Composed of Bibenzoate Mesogens

Main-chain liquid-crystalline elastomers have received increasing attention because of their large reversible deformation, such as fivefold contraction and/or elongation. On the other hand, nanofibers prepared by electrospinning have attracted both industrial and scientific interest because of their high-performance mechanical properties due to the high molecular orientation obtained in the large-stretching fabrication process. In this study, a trial manufacture of nanofibers made from a main-chain liquid-crystalline elastomer composed of bibenzoate mesogens has been carried out. We succeeded in preparing the main-chain liquidcrystalline nanofibers cross-linked by in situ UV radiation during the electrospinning process and observed them by scanning electron microscopy.