Polymerization in liquid crystals—XI: Copolymerization of N-acryloyl piperidine with cholesteryl acrylate and phenyl-p-acryloyloxy benzoate

N-acryloyl piperidine (AP) was copolymerized with mesogenic monomers [such as cholesteryl acrylate (CA) and phenyl-p-acryloyloxy benzoate (PAB)] in isotropic solution using radical initiation (A_AP = 1.1, r_CA = 0.16, and r_AP = 0.81, r_PAB = 0.16. The copolymers are anisotropic having minimum values of transition and clearing points with composition. The composition corresponding to the minimum is a boundary between two structures as indicated by wide-angle X-ray scattering. Distribution of the gyration radii determined by GPC in tetrahydrofuran is identical to that of solid polymers measured by small-angle X-ray scattering, except that the average value of the latter is about 10^?6 cm less than that of the former. It was established that AP as a non-mesogenic comonomer did not suppress the mesomorphism of the copolymer and in fact formed mesomorphic homopolymers. In the solid polymer, the macromolecule which is anisotropic in geometry was found to form the structural unit having a minimum of the melting and clearing point with composition, as for a eutectic system.