Multicomponent hydrogen-bonded liquid crystalline mixtures

Phase behaviour of hydrogen-bonded multicomponent mixtures of bipyridine, d odeyloxybenzoic acid and dicarboxylic acids with poly(acrylic acid) were st udied at different compositions and temperatures. It was found that in cert ain composition ranges, the mixtures from a homogeneous liquid crystalline phase of smectic type with an unusually high enthalpy of transition into th e isotropic state. The nature of the anisotropic phase observed in the poly mers is discussed. The phase behaviour was studied using IR spectroscopy, d ifferential scanning calorimetry and X-ray structure analysis.