D. A. Pebalk

Preliminary communication Induction of the smectic phase in comb-shaped liquid crystalline ionogenic copolymers by hydrogen bond formation

Using a radical copolymerization of 4-(4-cyanobiphenyl-4-yloxy)butyl acrylate and acrylic acid, a number of new liquid crystalline ionogenic copolymers capable of hydrogen bonding were synthesized. The formation of hydrogen bonds results in an invariant temperature interval of existence for the LC state (up to 52mol% of acrylic acid) and a rather sudden replacement of the nematic phase by the SmA phase with increase in content of acrylic acid (35 mol%) in copolymers.

The effect of silver nanoparticles on the phase state of comb-shaped liquid crystalline polymers with cyanobiphenyl mesogenic groups

A new approach is proposed for the preparation of a new class of hybrid polymer systems based on comb-shaped LC polymers with cyanobiphenyl mesogenic groups and silver nanoparticles with dimensions ranging from 5 to 54 nm. A correlation between copolymer composition and dimensions of the formed nanoparticles is established. As the concentration of nanoparticles in LC copolymer is increased, the resultant glass transition temperature increases, and the temperature interval of the existence of LC phase is reduced. This behavior is related to the adsorption of cyanobiphenyl and carboxylic polymer groups on the surface of silver nanoparticles. In this case, the conductivity and dielectric permittivity of the composites are also increased.

Optical isotropic mesophase in side chain copolymers containing isophthalic acid groups

Random side chain copolymers, containing cyanobiphenyl mesogenic units and 37–58 mol % of isophthalic acid monomer units, possess an unusual ability to produce optically isotropic mesophases. This is demonstrated by the absence of birefringence and by high optical transparency of their films. At the same time, corresponding DSC curves show a well pronounced first order transition with a heat of fusion of 1.5–2.34 kJ mol−1. A key reason behind the formation of an optically isotropic mesophase is likely to be related to the microphase separation between side groups of the copolymers.