Intercalate Co-Crystals of Syndiotactic Polystyrene with Benzyl methacrylate and Radiation-Induced Guest Polymerization

The formation of a cocrystalline phase of syndiotactic polystyrene (s-PS), presenting layers of benzyl methacrylate (BzMA) guest molecules intercalated with layers of closely packed alternated enantiomorphous polymer chains, is presented. The distance between these polymer layers, which for the nanoporous δ phase of s-PS is of 1.05 nm increases up to 1.61 nm, due to the guest intercalation. The proximity of the BzMA molecules in the guest layers makes possible their irradiation-induced polymerization inside the cocrystalline film. The polymerization products are expelled from the crystalline host phase, and the latter, as a consequence of guest exclusion, reorganizes in a lower order helical mesomorphic phase.