ANISOTROPIC NETWORK FORMATION BY PHOTOPOLYMERIZATION OF LIQUID-CRYSTAL MONOMERS IN A LOW STRENGTH MAGNETIC-FIELD

Liquid crystalline mixtures of mono- and dimethacrylates were photopol ymerized after macroscopic orientation of the monomers under a relativ ely weak magnetic field or via interaction with a unidirectionally rub bed polyimide substrate. Polymerization kinetics was followed by a the rmoanalysis technique, and the transmitted light intensity was measure d in realtime. The macroscopic order parameter of one of the component comonomers (bearing a cyano group) incorporated into the polymer netw ork prepared under different conditions was evaluated using IR dichroi sm. The results obtained for the cross-linked polymer network produced under the low strength magnetic field are compared with those for the polymer film produced by surface orientation.