Dielectric relaxation spectroscopy of amorphous and liquid-crystalline side-chain polycarbonates

The molecular dynamics of amorphous and liquid-crystalline (LC) side-chain polycarbonates was studied by dielectric spectroscopy at frequencies from 10⁻² to 10⁶ Hz and at temperatures from −160 to 180°C. ‘Model’ compounds containing no mesogenic side-groups showed two relaxations, which originate from the carbonate group (α, β_m-relaxation). By contrast, in LC-polycarbonates bearing a mesogenic nitrostilbene side group around and above the glass transition temperature T_g up to three relaxation modes were distinguished (α-, λ₁-, λ₂-process); below T_g four secondary relaxations (γ-, β_m-, β_s-, β_sc-relaxation) were observed. The γ-relaxation was found only in compounds possessing an aliphatic spacer linked to the backbone by an ether bond. Apart from β_m-, two additional β-processes were identified as relaxations associated with the mesogenic unit in the glassy (β_s) or in the crystalline state (β_sc).