Liquid crystalline side chain polymers and their behaviour in the electric field

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Abstract
The electro‐optical properties of liquid crystalline polymers with polar mesogenic units in the side chain were investigated. It could be shown, that in an electric field, they show all effects known from low molecular weight liquid crystals, e.g. the Freedericksz‐transition, the DAP‐effect, the formation of William's domain, and the dynamic scattering. The optical response times are slightly longer than for low molecular weight liquid crystals, but in some cases at higher temperatures as short as 200 ms. By comparison of different polymers and some corresponding liquid crystalline monomers, it is found that: (1) the difference between the measuring temperature and the glass transition temperature mainly determines the optical response times, (2) the fixation of mesogenic groups to a polymer main chain via spacers influences the threshold voltage. Low values are found for long spacers. These results allow a discussion of the influence of polymer fixation of the mesogenic groups on their liquid crystalline properties, pointing to a partial decoupling of the motions of main chains and side chains.

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