Birefringence negative, positive

Optical microscopy in polarized fight is done for samples of thin film (maximum thickness of the film should be less than a few micrometers in order to get a sharp pictiue of the structure). This optical transmission method allows the detection of the type of birefringence (negative or positive) but is insufficient to assign the lamellar structure. Satisfactory results are achieved for structure emits with dimensions of some micrometers. 

Fig. 3.11 The indicatrix of uniaxial birefringent materials, positive and negative. Positive materials have one principal refractive index greater than the other two. The optic axis is the axis of synunetry of the ellipsoid.

Copolymers and blends of BPA-PC and Modified PS. Theoretically, a blend or copolymer of 60 parts BPA-PC (positively birefringent) and 40 parts PS (negatively birefringent) should yield a product free of birefringence (Fig. 25) (207). In spite of modifications to PC to improve the compatibiUty, no blend could be produced which would be optically isotropic and thus suitable as a substrate material. The same holds tme for PC/PS-copolymers (208) in which... 

Reduction or even complete compensation of birefringence by mixing polymers with positive birefringence (PC, PVC, PETP, PPE, PVDF, etc) with polymers with negative birefringence (PMMA, PS, PAN, etc) has been the consistent strategy. 

Dynamic behaviour. Time dependent curves of the birefringence An(t) induced by applying successively a positive and a negative electric... 

Tumbling regime At very low shear rates, the birefringence axis (or the director) of the nematic solution tumbles continuously up to a reduced shear rate T < 9.5. While the time for complete rotation stays approximately equal to that calculated from Eq. (85), the scalar order parameter S,dy) oscillates around its equilibrium value S. Maximum positive departures of S(dy) from S occur at 0 n/4 and — 3n/4, and maximum negative departures at 0 x — k/4 and — 5it/4, while the amplitude of oscillation increases with increasing T. 

Such polymers adopt, when affected by a mechanical field, an optically uniaxial homeotropic structure polymers B.1.2, B.1.7, B.1.8 (Table 8) have positive birefringence polymers B.1.1, B.1.8. (Table 9) have negative birefringence, which has not been reported to our knowledge, for low-molecular nematic liquid crystals. Although the authors do not comment on the cause for the observed phenomenon, the fact in itself is sufficiently uncommon. 

The anisotropy of polarizability can be positive (eg, polycarbonate) as well as negative (eg, polystyrene). This offers the possibility of minimizing birefringence by copolymerization or blending of suitable polymers with the right mixture ratio, eg, blends of poly(phenylene ether) (PPE) and polystyrene (PS). The magnitude of birefringence of axial-symmetrically oriented polymers vs their molecule orientation has been described (182). 

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