Side-chain functionalized liquid crystalline polymers and blends, 2 - Phase behavior of comb-shaped liquid crystalline ionomers containing ions of alkaline metals

An effective way to synthesize liquid crystalline ionomers by an exchange r eaction between the acid groups of functionalized LC polymers and a metal a cetate was examined. A number of LC ionomers containing ions of the alkalin e metals Na and Rb (1.2-18.3 mol%) were obtained. The introduction of small amounts (1.2-5 mol-%) of metal ions into a functionalized LC polymer matri x lends to significant changes in the phase state of copolymers - the nemat ic phase is replaced by a SmA phase; an increase of the content of alkaline metal ions causes linear growth of clearing temperatures. The influence of the nature of the metal ions on the phase behavior of LC ionomers was dete rmined. To describe the peculiarities of the LC ionomers' phase behavior a model based on the assumption that an ion multiplet is formed was proposed. Here, the rigidity of the functionalized LC copolymer chains used as a mat rix for the preparation of LC ionomers was taken into consideration.