SYNTHESIS AND EVALUATION OF A SERIES OF NOVEL 2-SUBSTITUTED POLY(ALLYLALCOHOL) SIDE-CHAIN LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE OLIGOMERS EXHIBITING FERROELECTRICITY

The recently published Baylis-Hillman methodology has been used to pre pare a number of side chain liquid crystalline poly(allylalcohols) inc orporating a ferroelectric mesogenic side chain. These poly(allylalcoh ols) exhibited wide range S(C) phases and, in the case of two of thes e materials, low glass transition temperatures. The transition tempera tures and phase behaviour of the SCLC poly(allylalcohols) were compare d to acrylate and methacrylate SCLC oligomers containing a similar mes ogenic side chain. The response times for two poly(allylalcohols) exhi biting low glass transition temperatures were also measured over a wid e temperature range. Although the poly(allylalcohols) had comparable r esponse times to the analogous acrylate and methacrylate SCLCP, they s howed the greater temperature dependence of the response time. However , at 39 degrees C one of the SCLC poly(allylalcohols) showed a respons e time of 65 ms.