Synthesis and mesomorphic properties of a new side-chain, chiral smectic, liquid-crystalline elastomer

✍ Scribed by Jian-She Hu; Bao-Yan Zhang; Ai-Juan Zhou; Bing-Guang Du; Li-Qun Yang

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 164 KB
• Volume: 100
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-8995
• DOI: 10.1002/app.23729

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The synthesis of the new chiral monomer 4‐(10‐undecylen‐1‐yloxy)biphenyl‐4′‐[(S)‐2‐methyl‐1‐bu‐ toxy]benzoate (M~1~), the nematic crosslinking agent biphenyl 4,4′‐bis(10‐undecylen‐1‐yloxybenzoate) (M~2~), and the corresponding liquid‐crystalline elastomer is described. The chemical structures of the chiral monomer and crosslinking agent have been characterized with Fourier transform infrared, elemental analyses, and proton and carbon‐13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. The mesomorphic properties have been investigated with differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing optical microscopy, and X‐ray diffraction. Monomer M~1~ shows different smectic phases (smectic A, chiral smectic C, and smectic B) and a cholesteric phase, and M~2~ exhibits a nematic phase. The liquid‐crystalline elastomer shows smectic A and chiral smectic C phases. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 4234–4239, 2006