LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE NETWORKS COMPOSED OF RIGID SPACERLESS MONOMERS - KINETICS OF NETWORK FORMATION, ANISOTROPIC STRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES

Rigid isotropic and anisotropic networks were formed by photopolymeriz ation of spacerless liquid crystalline diacrylates and of mixtures of these diacrylates with spacerless monoacrylates in the isotropic and l iquid crystalline state. The total conversion of double bonds and the orientational order is strongly restricted for the case of network for mation based solely on the diacrylates due to steric constraints. Thes e constraints are considerably relaxed in networks formed from mixture s of di- and monoacrylates. Such networks display a well defined orien tational order. The dynamical mechanical properties were found to corr espond to those found for networks based on diacrylates with flexible spacers, the anisotropy of the mechanical properties of oriented netwo rks is weak.