ANTIFERROELECTRIC AND FERRIELECTRIC LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE LOW MOLAR-MASSMATERIALS AND POLYMERS

Novel liquid crystalline Low Molecular Mass (LMM) materials bearing tw o chiral lactate groups, as well as compounds of like structure to MHP OBC have been synthesized. All the LMM compounds exhibit the SmCA (an tiferroelectric) and/or SmCY (ferrielectric) phases. The mesogens hav e been incorporated as pendant groups on polymer backbones of three di fferent natures to prepare side chain liquid crystalline copolysiloxan es, homopolysiloxanes and homopolyacrylates. The investigation of the polymers by means of miscibility studies showed that the antiferro- an d ferri-electric phases are strongly destabilized in the coposiloxanes and homopolysiloxanes, while in the homopolyacrylates a large tempera ture range mesophase is found to be miscible with the SmCA phase. The physical properties of the mesophases and their stability, both for t he LMM materials and the polymers, are presented and discussed.