THERMAL AND FERROELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF 2 SERIES OF COLORED CHIRAL LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE SIDE-GROUP COPOLYMERS

Two series of liquid crystalline side group copolymethacrylates were s ynthesized and their thermal and ferroelectric properties determined. All copolymers contain the same azobenzene mesogen spaced from the bac kbone by a heptamethylene sequence but different chiral co-compounds w ere used. The samples show either a monolayer or a bilayer smectic C phase but only four polymers with a low content of the ate-dye could b e switched ferroelectrically. The formation of the smectic C phase of some samples was found to be hindered. In order to study this phenome non as a function of the molecular weight one copolymer was fractionat ed.