Polymerization of Blending Cholesteryl Acrylate and Methyl Phenyl Benzoyl Acrylate

Liquid crystal is a material which is between solid and liquid phase and commonly called mesophase. Blends of liquid crystal are of great interest because of their unique optical properties. Blending in this study using two monomers of liquid crystal were cholesteryl acrylate and methyl phenyl benzoyl acrylate. The polymerization process using uv curing techniques by irradiation UV ray and without irradiation UV ray. Polymerization of blending liquid crystal acrylate using initiator 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenylpropane. Based on peak at GPC curve of polymerization by irradiation UV ray, type of that polymer is copolymer. Therefore the polymerization without UV ray, type of that polymer is homopolymer. SEM images of liquid crystal acrylate polymer showed lamella chain models that are characteristic of a polymer chains. Type of polymer liquid crystal acrylate was the type of Side Chain Liquid Crystalline Polymers (SCLCPs). Therefore acrylate polymer liquid crystal in this research has semi-crystalline phase, which contained crystalline phase and amorphous phase on the XRD pattern. The results of FT-IR spectroscopic characterization of the two monomers showed a peak at the wave number of 1600.43 cm ^-1 and 1622.86 cm^-1 which indicates a double bond (C=C) were obtained from acrylation. While the spectroscopy on the product blending the wave number of the peak regions is reduced that shows that carbon double bonds (C=C) in the acrylate group has polymerized. It also strengthened with a very sharp peak for CC functional groups on the wave number of 2855.15 cm^-1. The results of this study indicate that the liquid crystal polymer acrylic polymerization results with radiation UV ray and without UV ray, respectively absorb light in the UV wavelength region 363 nm and 351 nm.