Effect of the composition on the structure and ferroelectric properties of side chain liquid crystalline copolyacrylates

• Published in: Ferroelectrics Vol. 212; no. 1; pp. 309 - 316
• Main Authors: Alexandrov, Anatoly I., Andruzzi, Fulvio, Konstantinov, Ivan I., Magagnini, Pierluigi, Paci, Massimo, Pashkova, Tamara V., Tassi, Eliana L., Yablonsky, Sergey V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 01-05-1998
• Subjects: liquid crystalline copolymers; phase behaviour; piezo- and pyroelectric measurements; X-ray
• ISSN: 0015-0193; 1563-5112
• DOI: 10.1080/00150199808217379

The structure and physical properties of two side chain liquid crystalline polyacrylates are discussed, one bearing biphenyl core and chiral carbon atom in the flexible spacer, and the other a phenyl benzoate core. The biphenyl version displays two smectic phases of S*
F
and S*
F
types and no ferroelectric switching. The phenyl benzoate variant displays a single S
C
phase. The copolymerisation of the two monomers led to polymeric materials exhibiting a S*
c
polymorphism and composition dependent structural features. Only the copolymer of equimolar composition displayed a strong piezoelectric response in the S*
F
phase and ferroelectric behaviour in the lower temperature S*
c
modification.