Ferroelectric side group liquid crystalline polysiloxanes containing a chiral sulphinate derivative

A series of chiral liquid crystalline homo- and co-polysiloxanes is reporte d, in which the chirality is introduced via an arenesulphinate moiety. All polysiloxanes were prepared by using three polymer-analogous reactions and exhibit the ferroelectric SmC* phase. In the series of copolymers, a high h eterogeneity in the ratio of mesogenic pendants is observed and explains th e existence of large biphasic regions at the phase transitions. A complete characterization of the ferroelectric properties was performed for the copo lysiloxanes, and revealed high values of the spontaneous polarization.