Some Novel Smectic* Liquid-Crystalline Side-Chain Polymers

Abstract

Three acrylate side-chain polymers in which the mesogenic moieties are based on the 4-n-alkoxyphenyl-4′-(4″-methylhexyloxy) benzoates have been characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. For shorter flexible spacers (n = 2) both smectic A and C^* phases are observed thus making this polymer interesting for the fabrication of electro-optical devices based on ferroelectric properties (a smectic A phase is required for alignment purposes). For longer flexible spacers, (n = 6, 11) only the smectic A phase remains.