Direct observation of smectic layers in side chain liquid crystal polymer films

By applying stringent conditions to the imaging process it has been possible to produce electron micrographs of the smectic planes in a highly beam sensitive polymethcrylate side chain liquid crystal polymer. These planes show a high degree of internal perfection, while, at the same time, showing clear evidence of curvature. The director orientation was determined over a fairly large region.     

Structure analysis of side chain liquid crystal polymer films by means of electron microscopy

Using the combined techniques of electron diffraction, bright and dark field electron microscopy as well as light microscopy, it has been possible to obtain detailed structural information about the arrangement of the smectic layers in a polymethacrylate side chain liquid crystal polymer with a biphenylester as the mesogenic group.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of side chain liquid crystal polymer molecules in isotropic and liquid-crystalline melts

A detailed molecular dynamics simulation study is described for a polysiloxane side chain liquid crystal polymer (SCLCP). The simulations use a coarse-grained model composed of a combination of isotropic and anisotropic interaction sites. On cooling from a fully isotropic polymer melt, we see spontaneous microphase separation into polymer-rich and mesogen-rich regions. Upon application of a small aligning potential during cooling, the structures that form on microphase separation anneal to produce a smectic-A phase in which the polymer backbone is largely confined between the smectic layers. Several independent quenches from the melt are described that vary in the strength of the aligning potential and the degree of cooling. In each quench, defects were found where the backbone chains hop from one backbone-rich region to the next by tunneling through the mesogenic layers. As expected, the number of such defects is found to depend strongly on the rate of cooling. In the vicinity of such a defect, the smectic-A structure of the mesogen-rich layers is disrupted to give nematiclike ordering. Additionally, several extensive annealing runs of approximately 40 ns duration have been carried out at the point of microphase separation. During annealing the polymer backbone is seen to be slowly excluded from the mesogenic layers and lie perpendicular to the smectic-A director. These observations agree with previous assumptions about the structure of a SCLCP and with interpretations of x-ray diffraction and small angle neutron scattering data. The flexible alkyl spacers, which link the backbone to the mesogens, are found to form sublayers around the backbone layer.     

Analogy between liquid crystal side chain polysiloxanes and liquid crystal twins with siloxane spacers

Abstract

The goal of this present work was to compare the properties of dimers with a siloxane spacer to those of side chain polysiloxanes including the same mesogenic groups and the same dilution with dimethylsiloxane segments. A systematic study of the influence of the dilution parameter on the mesomorphic and structural properties of dimers and diluted side chain polysiloxanes, as well as on the behaviour of their solutions with low molar mass liquid crystals is reported.     

Analogy between liquid crystal side chain polysiloxanes and liquid crystal twins with siloxane spacers

The goal of this present work was to compare the properties of dimers with a siloxane spacer to those of side chain polysiloxanes including the same mesogenic groups and the same dilution with dimethylsiloxane segments. A systematic study of the influence of the dilution parameter on the mesomorphic and structural properties of dimers and diluted side chain polysiloxanes, as well as on the behaviour of their solutions with low molar mass liquid crystals is reported.     

Structure and shear orientation of a side chain liquid crystal polymer studied by small angle X-ray scattering

We have studied the structure and shear flow behaviour of a side chain liquid crystal polymer, namely P₁₂, in the smectic (SmA_d) phase. Simultaneous oscillatory shear and small angle X-ray scattering experiments showed that, as expected, the shearing of P₁₂ at high frequency and large strain amplitudes leads to the alignment of the smectic layer normals parallel to the neutral direction. It was also found that, on erasing the memory of the prior shear alignment through melting, P₁₂ can unexpectedly orient with the smectic layers perpendicular to the shear flow direction (b-configuration). We speculate that the b-configuration is adopted due to a counter-balance between the rather long spacer in P₁₂ which decouples mesogens from the backbone, and the oscillatory character of the shear applied to P₁₂.     

Dielectric relaxation in a mixture of a side chain liquid-crystalline polymer and a low molecular liquid crystal

Dielectric measurements on two mixtures of a low and high molecular liquid crystal and the pure components have been carried out in the frequency range from 1 Hz to 100 kHz. In the S_A and supercooled S_A phase two absorption ranges were observed. The low frequency absorption belongs to the low molecular weight liquid crystal. The shift in the relaxation frequency of both compounds indicates complete miscibility. The strong difference of the absorption intensity of the polymer on heating and cooling can be associated with the formation of mixed crystals at smaller concentrations of the low molecular weight compound.     

Electrically induced and thermally erased properties of side‐chain liquid crystalline polymer/liquid crystal/chiral dopant composites

The properties of synthesized side‐chain liquid crystalline polymer (SCLCP)/liquid crystal (LC)/chiral dopant composites having a chiral nematic (N*) phase at room temperature were investigated by polarized optical microscopy (POM) and a UV/VIS/NIR spectrophotometer. The composite exhibited a planar texture after it was filled into cells under homogeneous boundary conditions and it was transparent. When an electric field was applied to the composite, a focal conic texture was formed and the composite became light scattering. After the electric field was turned off, the light‐scattering state remained stable for some time, i.e. the light‐scattering state exhibited a memory effect. The focal conic texture changed into the planar texture when the composite was heated and the composite became transparent again. Therefore, the composite had electrically induced and thermally erased properties. The SCLCP had some influence on the memory effect and on the thermo‐electro‐optical properties of the composite.     

Twisted smectic A phases in side chain liquid crystal polymers

The syntheses of two side chain liquid crystal polymers, a polyacrylate and a polymethacrylate, are reported. In each of the polymers the liquid-crystalline side group carries an asymmetric carbon atom, thereby making some of the liquid crystal phases formed by the polymers optically active and chiral. For the chiral polyacrylate smectic A and chiral ferroelectric smectic C phases are observed, however for the chiral polymethacrylate a cholesteric phase is detected above the smectic A phase. It is found that the smectic A to cholesteric phase transition is mediated by the formation of an intermediary twisted smectic A phase. This intermediary phase is a liquid-crystalline analogue of the Abrikosov flux phase found in Type II superconductors.     

Twisted smectic A phases in side chain liquid crystal polymers

Abstract

The syntheses of two side chain liquid crystal polymers, a polyacrylate and a polymethacrylate, are reported. In each of the polymers the liquid-crystalline side group carries an asymmetric carbon atom, thereby making some of the liquid crystal phases formed by the polymers optically active and chiral. For the chiral polyacrylate smectic A and chiral ferroelectric smectic C phases are observed, however for the chiral polymethacrylate a cholesteric phase is detected above the smectic A phase. It is found that the smectic A to cholesteric phase transition is mediated by the formation of an intermediary twisted smectic A phase. This intermediary phase is a liquid-crystalline analogue of the Abrikosov flux phase found in Type II superconductors.     

新型侧链高分子液晶单体的合成

为GC作为固定液的目的,首次合成了四种新的端基为异硫氰基的芳酯类液晶单体(MLC;Mesomorphic liquid crystal).将其接到聚硅氧烷主链上可期望得到性能优良的侧链高分子液晶.     

Static and dynamic properties of smectic liquid crystal side chain polymers

On the basis of models for the conformation of liquid crystal side chain polymers in the smectic phase, some dynamic aspects of such systems are considered using the reptation approach. The overall diffusion constants of the polymer along and perpendicular to the director of the side chains are derived.     

Linear electromechanical effect in a S*c polymer liquid crystal

A linear electromechanical effect, similar to that observed in low-molecular weight S*_c liquid crystals, is reported for a S*_c polymer liquid crystal. A 20 μm thick film of LCP1 (polymer liquid crystal, S*_c, supplied by BDH) was prepared that could be aligned by shearing. An alternating electric field was applied perpendicular and the lateral oscillating motion of the cover glass was measured and analysed. In addition to a linear response, vibrations with the frequency of the applied field, a quadratic response was also observed. The frequency, temperature and applied voltage dependences were measured. The response depends strongly on the alignment. The qualitative analysis of the effects indicates that the oscillations are due to viscous coupling between director reorientation and flow.     

Investigation of side chain liquid crystal polymers bearing cholesterol and bile acid derivatives

Cholic acid (or 3a,7a,12a-trihydoxyl-5a-cholan-24-oic acid) and lithocholic acid (or 3a-hydroxyl-5a-cholanic-24-oic acid) are commonly occurring bile acids synthesized from cholesterol in the liver in mammals. They all possess a steroid skeleton containing four rings, three with six carbons and one with five carbons. The transformation of cholesterol to cholic acid results in two major structural changes that affect the steroid skeleton. The first is the hydrogenation of the double bond between C5 and C6 and the second is a conformational flip of ring A from the 5a-position to the 5a-position. In addition, one or more hydroxyl groups are added to the steroid skeleton. Outside of the ring system, C24 is converted from a saturated alkyl to a carboxylic acid group.Side chain polymers based on cholesterol moiety have been made as reported in the literature.Since bile acids and cholesterol are all in the family of steroid molecules, it is of interest to investigate whether bile acids may also act as mesogenic groups.Therefore, flexible spacer groups with 10 carbons are introduced between bile acid skeleton and the poymerizable double bonds. The monomers and polymers are compared with cholesterol and dihydrocholesterol monomers and polymers with the same spacers. Dihydrocholesterol is chosen to investigate the influence of the double bond in the formation of LC, given that both cholesterol and dihydrocholesterol have a planar structure but there is no double bond in the latter. These monomers and their corresponding polymers were characterized for their liquid crystalline (LC) properties by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarizing optical microscopy (POM) and X-ray diffraction.It was found that only the compounds bearing the planar cholesterol moieties possess LC phases. It is concluded that the 5a-configuration between the first and second cycles on the steroid skeleton of bile acids does not favor proper alignment of the rigid part of the bile acid moieties. It is interesting to see the effect of a small variation in structure on the properties of the otherwise structurally-similar compounds and the materials made from them.     

Thermo-recording in (side chain type smectic A liquid crystal polymer/nematic liquid crystal/chiral dopant/dichroic dye) composite with a low power laser

Thermo-recording in a [side chain type smectic A liquid crystal polymer (SmA-LCP)/nematic liquid crystal (N-LC)/chiral dopant/dichroic dye] composite has been realized by using 2mW of power from a He-Ne laser. The laser irradiation-induced phase transitions of smectic A (SmA) → chiral nematic (N*) → SmA formed the dominant thermo-recording mechanism in the composite. Thermo-recording in the (SmA-LCP/N-LC/chiral dopant/dichroic dye) composite exhibited a higher contrast when compared with the non-polymeric (SmA-LC)/N-LC/chiral dopant/dichroic dye composite.     

A coloured ferroelectric side chain polymer

Abstract

Coloured ferroelectric liquid-crystalline side chain copolymers containing 5 per cent and 15 per cent of an azo dye were synthesized and characterized by DSC, GPC and optical microscopy. Order parameters, S, of the azo compound exceeding 0·8 were measured in the frozen smectic phase for the 5 per cent copolymer. The copolymers exhibit fast electrooptic switching in the range of a few hundred microseconds to milliseconds in the S_c* phase. Both linear (i.e. electroclinic-like) and ferroelectric switching have been observed. Tilt angles of ～19° and spontaneous polarization of ～300nC cm^?2 have been recorded in the S_c* phase.     

A coloured ferroelectric side chain polymer

Coloured ferroelectric liquid-crystalline side chain copolymers containing 5 per cent and 15 per cent of an azo dye were synthesized and characterized by DSC, GPC and optical microscopy. Order parameters, S, of the azo compound exceeding 0·8 were measured in the frozen smectic phase for the 5 per cent copolymer. The copolymers exhibit fast electrooptic switching in the range of a few hundred microseconds to milliseconds in the S_c* phase. Both linear (i.e. electroclinic-like) and ferroelectric switching have been observed. Tilt angles of ∼19° and spontaneous polarization of ∼300nC cm^-2 have been recorded in the S_c* phase.