Short wavelength light reflecting films from side-chain liquid crystal homopolymers with chiral spacers

A series of acrylate monomers with alkoxy tails of varying lengths are synt hesised and polymerised. The butoxy analogue had a stable enantiotropic cho lesteric liquid crystalline phase which formed a grandjean texture when pre pared as a thin film between glass slides. The polymer was mixed with a low molar mass nematic liquid crystal in various proportions and the pitch of the chiral nematic phases were determined using a cano-wedge cell technique . The polymer prepared from (S)-2-(4-butoxyphenyl-4'-benzoyloxy)-1-methyl e thyl acrylate had a pitch length of 113 nm which indicates that the polymer film could be employed in optical devices requiring selective reflection o f light with short wavelengths in the region of 170 nm. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.