Effect of Cu2+ concentration on the phase behavior and magnetic propertiesof comb-shaped liquid-crystalline ionomers

Comb-shaped LC ionomers containing Cu2+ ions were synthesized, and their ph ase behavior was studied. It was shown that, at low concentrations of the m etal ions (similar to2 mol %), an S-A phase appears; an increase in the con centration of copper ions is accompanied by a rise in the clearing point an d glass transition temperature. The effect of the concentration of copper i ons on the magnetic properties of LC ionomers was assessed. It was demonstr ated that the LC ionomers under study exhibit ferromagnetic properties with strong exchange interactions J approximate to -180 cm(-1); the temperature dependences of magnetic moment are satisfactorily described within the fra mework of the 1-D linear chain Heisenberg model. A structural model was adv anced to explain the behavior of LC ionomers in a smectic mesophase.