MORPHOLOGICAL STUDIES OF A THERMOTROPIC SIDE-CHAIN LIQUID CRYSTALLINE POLYMER DURING MESOPHASE TRANSITIONS*

The morphological features of a side-chain liquid crystalline polymer during the mesophasetransitions were investigated by using the DSC technique. The polymer used was polyacrylate with mesogensof three benzene rings attached to the main chain through a flexible spacer. A special two-phase texture wasobserved in the transition temperature range. Similar to main-chain liquid crystalline polymers the transitionprocess of the side-chain liquid crystalline polymer was composed of an initiation of the new phase at localplaces of the old phase matrix and a growth process of the new phase domains.