DIELECTRIC RELAXATIONS OF A SMECTIC SIDE-CHAIN LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE POLYMER IN DIFFERENT ALIGNMENT STATES

The complex dielectric constant has been measured for a polyvinyl-ethe r based cyano-biphenyl side-chain liquid-crystalline polymer over the temperature range of 100-400 K and frequency range of 10-10(5) Hz. In the smectic-A phase, both homogeneous and homeotropic alignments were achieved with a 7-Tesla magnetic field by slowly cooling the samples d own from the isotropic phase to room temperature. The low-frequency de lta loss peaks are suppressed in the homogeneous state and enhanced in the homeotropic state while high-frequency alpha loss peaks are enhan ced in the homogeneous and almost absent in the homeotropic. The Arrhe nius plot of each process shows a rapid decrease in the relaxation fre quency as the temperature approaches T(g), which may somehow reflect t he glassy behavior of the polymer backbone and has been analyzed by WL F and Vogel-Fulcher equations. The results from two samples with diffe rent degree of polymerization are compared in terms of T(g).