Polymeric dopant effects of bent‐core covalent‐bonded and hydrogen‐bonded structures on banana‐shaped liquid crystalline complexes

Two series of banana‐shaped liquid crystalline (LC) H‐bonded complexes HP_m / CB_n (i.e., bent‐core H‐bonded side‐chain homopolymer HP mixed with bent‐core covalent‐bonded small molecule CB ) and CP_m / HB_n (i.e., bent‐core covalent‐bonded side‐chain homopolymer CP mixed with bent‐core H‐bonded small molecular complex HB ) with various m/n molar ratios were developed. The bent‐core covalent‐ and H‐bonded structural moieties were homopolymerized in the banana‐shaped LC H‐bonded complexes HP_m / CB_n and CP_m / HB_n , respectively. The influences of m/n molar ratios (polymeric moieties vs. small molecular moieties) on the mesomorphic and electro‐optical properties of both banana‐shaped LC H‐bonded complexes HP_m / CB_n and CP_m / HB_n were investigated. The polar smectic phases could be achieved and stabilized by smaller contents of polymeric dopants in banana‐shaped LC H‐bonded complexes, such as HP1/CB10 , HP1/CB15 , CP1/HB10 , and CP1/HB15 , which possessed tunable spontaneous polarization (Ps) values according to the molar ratios of m/n , that is, lower Ps values obtained in H‐bonded complexes HP_m /CB_n and CP_m / HB_n with higher ratios of H‐bonded moieties (larger m/n molar ratios), respectively. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 764–774, 2010