Polysiloxane smectic copolymer

Fig. 19. Elastic constants ku and (i.e. splay and bend) as a function of concentration for a polysiloxane smectic copolymer of the type shown in Fig. 3(b) dissolved in a low molar mass cyanobiphenyl liquid crystal host.

On the other hand, liquid crystalline polymers applied to optical information storage has attracted great attention. The liquid crystalline polymer is applied mainly in terms of the thermo-optical effect. The backbone of liquid crystalline polymer can be polysiloxane, polyacrylate, or polyesters. In order to enhance the absorption coefficient for the writing laser beam, the dyes may be either dissolved into the liquid crystalline polymer in the guest-host model or attached to the backbone of the liquid crystalline polymer to form a copolymer. The nematic, cholesteric and smectic liquid crystalline polymers are all be able to be utilized in optical information storage. 

Fig. 15. (a) Response time as a function of the applied voltage for a smectic polysiloxane copolymer. The cell thicknesses were as indicated, the a.c. frequency was 2-5 kHz and measurements were carried out at 7, - TC. 

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