LIQUID CRYSTALLINE POLYMERS

In recent years liquid crystalline polymers become of great interest because of their advantages resulting of the properties of the polymer and of the liquid crystal. That means the processing to films, fibres and mouldings is possible, while the anisotropic mechanical and optical properties still exist.

Liquid crystalline polymers are classified in:

MCLCP (main chain liquid crystal polymer)
SCLCP (side chain liquid crystal polymer)
and the combination of them.


In MCLCPs the rod- or disk-like mesogenic groups are directly inserted in the main chain beside other monomers or the MCLCP is just build up out of mesogenic groups. In SCLCPs the mesogenic group is connected via a spacer (e.g. methylene units) to the main chain - this causes more flexibility of the mesogenic groups.

Mesophases are classified in:

nematic
smectic
chiral nematic (cholesteric);