Synthesis and characterization of liquid-crystalline side group polymers with benzylideneaniline as mesogenic moiety

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Abstract
Two new thermotropic liquid-crystalline side group polymers were synthesized, characterized and compared with the liquid-crystalline monomeric analogues. Some packing features of these polymeric liquid crystals are discussed. Investigations were carried out by differential calorimetry (D.S.C.), polarization microscopic observation and X-ray diffraction on non-aligned and magnetic field-aligned samples in the wide and small angle region. The synthesized polymers contain as mesogenic moiety a benzylideneaniline group which is attached in the 4 position via a hexamethylene spacer to a poly-methacrylate backbone. The benzylideneaniline group is substituted in 4′ position with an ethoxy or butoxy group (PEt or PBu). The monomeric analogues are denoted MEt and MBu. The two polymers show a phase sequence crystalline-smectic A-nematic-isotropic. The liquid-crystalline temperature range is observed between 90 and 150°C. The monomeric MEt exhibits only a monotropic nematic, MBu an enantiotropic nematic and a smectic A phase.