Morphological studies of a thermotropic side-chain liquid crystalline polymer during mesophase transitions

The morphological features of a side-chain liquid crystalline polymer durin g the mesophase transitions were investigated by using the DSC technique. T he polymer used was polyacrylate with mesogens of three benzene rings attac hed to the main chain through a flexible spacer. A special two-phase textur e was observed in the transition temperature range. Similar to main-chain l iquid crystalline polymers the transition process of the side-chain liquid crystalline polymer was composed of an initiation of the new phase at local places of the old phase matrix and a growth process of the new phase domai ns.