| Abstract: | In order to study the influence of the concentration of a flexible group on the liquid crystal behaviour of copper-containing complexes, series of Cu-coordinated, beta-diketone-based liquid crystalline polysilsesquioxanes (abbr. H-DK-Cu) and random copolymethylsilsesquioxanes (abbr. Me-DK-Cu), have been synthesized by the hydrosilylation reaction of a vinyl-terminated beta-diketone and 1-heptene with the polyhydrosilsesquioxane (H-T) and with the random copolymethylhydrosilsesquioxane (Me-T), followed by reaction with Cu(NH3)4Cl2. Their mesomorphic properties were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and optical polarizing microscopy. The H-DK-Cu and Me-DK-Cu complexes with M w of approximately 1 x 104 are thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers and their clearing temperature and mesophase ranges are lower than those of the corresponding Cu-coordinated, beta-diketone-based liquid crystalline polymethylsilsesquioxanes (Cu-FBDKLCP) without the n-heptyl flexible group. However, their liquidity within the temperature range of the liquid crystal state is better. The results are mainly attributed to the heptyl, flexible side group. |
