Order SCLCP

SCLCPs combine liquid crystalline properties and polymeric behavior in one material. If the mesogenic unit is fixed directly to the polymer main chain, the motion of the liquid crystalline side chain is coupled with the motion of the polymer backbone, preventing the formation of a LC mesophase. Therefore, Finkelmann and Ringsdorf proposed that the introduction of a flexible spacer between the main chain and the mesogenic unit would decouple their motions, allowing the mesogenic moiety to build up an orientational order [29,30]. 

One of the most interesting features of SCLCPs is related to the fact that a liquid crystalline phase can be orientated and frozen by cooling it to below the glass transition temperature. It is therefore necessary to drive SCLCP systems from microscopic self-organized mesophases to macroscopic order. 

Block copolymers with well-defined segments often show microphase-separated morphologies (such as lamellar layers, hexagonal ordered cylinders, and micelle formation). If we use SCLCP blocks together with non-liquid crystalline segments, the mesophases are formed within one of the separated microdomains. If the non-SCLCP block has a higher Tg than the phase transition temperature of the mesophase, the amorphous block should physically support the SCLCP microdomains, forming a self-supported SCLCP system. 

Beside classical SCLCPs, attaching dendritic side chains to poly(norborn-enes) and poly(7-oxanorbornenes) leads to highly-ordered columnar mesophases (Sect. 2.5). In these polymers, the dendritic side chains force the polymer to adopt a rod-like structure. 

In order to synthesize homopolymers by polymer analogous reactions, the reaction must go to 100% conversion. Hydrosila-tions of mesogenic olefins are the most common polymer analogous reactions used to prepare SCLCPs [199]. However, the precursor poly(methyl siloxane)s are generally not prepared by living polymerizations, nor do the hydrosilations readily go to comple-... 

In order to determine whether or not the alkyl substituent is necessary for low molar mass liquid crystals to mimic the thermotropic behavior of laterally attached SCLCPs, both l,4-bis[(3 -fluoro-4 -n-alk-oxyphenyl)ethynyl]benzenes [193, 196]... 

In order to achieve amorphous polar solids, some research groups have explored ferroelectric SCLCPs, and have shown that the basic rules governing the relationships between molecular structure and macroscopic ferroelectric LC properties are the same [225-228]. The main difference between low molar mass and polymer ferroelectric LCs, however, is the existence of stable glassy phases in most of the latter. 

So for SCLCPs with a nematic or an phase have been mainly used, as these materials possess an inherent uniaxial macroscopic order. However, to establish the required non-... 

LCPs combine the mechanical properties of polymers with the order of LCs. The low molar mass mesogenic units, which form a LC phase, consist of a rigid core. If this core is extended, so-called main chain liquid crystalline polymers (MCLCPs) are obtained. A second method to obtain LCPs is to connect low molecular weight LC (LMWLC) units via flexible spacers. This approach allows the preparation of side chain liquid crystalline polymers (SCLCPs) (Box 1). 

Cybotactic nematic phases were also reported for SCLCPs. " 246-248,255 jhggg re polymers in which pronounced smectic order parameter fluctuations occur. This is especially true of polymers which exhibit an Sa or a Sc phase at lower temperatures. 

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