Synthesis and thermal properties of liquid-crystalline polyacrylates containing a carbazolyl group in the mesogen

The new acrylate monomers 4-(ω-acryloyloxyalkyloxy)-N-(9-methyl-2-carbazolylmethylene) anilines containing from 2 to 11 methylenic units in their alkyl group and a carbazolyl group in the mesogenic unit were synthesized and polymerized by azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as radical initiator and by low-energy electron beam (EB) initiation. The thermal properties of the resulting polymers were examined using differential scanning calorimetry and thermal optical polarizing microscopy. The polymer prepared by AIBN with a hexamethylene spacer exhibited a nematic phase from 73 to 170°C and with an undecamethylene spacer exhibited a smectic phase from 55 to 202°C. The isotropization temperature of the polyacrylates increased with increasing the number of carbons of the methylenic spacer. The yield of the resulting polymer was changed by EB irradiation temperature from 4.5 to 41%. The highest yield was obtained when the monomer was polymerized in a liquid-crystalline phase. The same tendency was observed in the molecular weight of the resulting polymers. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.