Polysiloxane side-chain liquid crystal optical

Fig. 4. Typical polysiloxane side-chain liquid crystal optical textures for (a) nematic, (b) cholesteric and (c) smectic A phases.

H J Coles and R Simon. Electro-Optic Effects in a Smectogenic Polysiloxane Side Chain Liquid Crystal Polymer, in "Recent Advances in Liquid Crystalline Polymers", L L Chapoy (ed),... 

ELECTRO-OPTIC EFFECTS IN A SMECTOGENIC POLYSILOXANE SIDE-CHAIN LIQUID CRYSTAL... 

It is very often the commercial interest in novel materials which stimulates the growth in their study and eventual exploitation. This is certainly true in the case of thermotropic liquid crystals and their application in electro-optic displays. Indeed, the production of high-strength, high-modulus fibres has seen a wealth of interest in lyotropic main chain polymers. The use of lyotropic side chain polymers has, by comparison, been less well publicized. This is not to say that there are no applications. Alkyl polyoxyethylene surfactants attached to polysiloxane polymers have found uses in many personal care products such as liquid soaps, shampoos, skin creams, and hair mousses. Unfortunately the physical properties of these and other similar materials have been closely guarded secrets and the amount of information available in the literature is low. The limited data which does exist, however, provides us with some interesting structure - behaviour relationships. 

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