Electrooptical-responsive microsphere with ferroelectric liquid crystalline segments

We synthesized a ferroelectric liquid crystalline monomer (4-[4'-(7-octenel oxy)benzoyloxy]benzoate-2-methylbutyester OBBM) possessing both carboxyl p- benzolxybenzoate and carboxyl (s)-(-)-2-methylbutylester as a mesogenic gro up in its side chain. The liquid crystalline and styrene monomers were empl oyed to make matrices of microspheres prepared by dispersion, suspension, o r emulsion polymerization. In this study, we investigated, in detail, physi cochemical properties, thermal responses, and electrooptical responses of t he microspheres possessing liquid crystalline abilities. The ferroelectric liquid crystalline monomer OBBM had a thermotropic liquid crystalline abili ty, two-phase transition temperatures, and a Smectic C* texture, which is c haracteristic of ferroelectric liquid crystalline substances. The microsphe res prepared also exhibited a liquid crystalline ability, and the phase-tra nsition temperatures toward the liquid crystalline segments into the micros pheres prepared by copolymerizing the liquid crystalline and styrene monome rs could be decreased with increasing of the styrene monomer. Furthermore, we found that the microspheres remarkably exhibited electrooptical response s at about 8 V. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.