Liquid Crystalline Side Chain Polymers with Fluorene as Mesogenic Group

Abstract

The properties of some liquid crystalline side chain polysiloxanes with 2,7-disubstituted fluorene as mesogenic unit are reported. The polymers exhibit smectic A and smectic E like textures. Beside DSC and polarizing microscopy ²H NMR spectroscopy was used to characterize the phase transitions. Anthracene-d₁₀ was used as a solute probe molecule and its order parameters were calculated in the liquid crystalline polymer phases. Two other low molecular weight liquid crystals (8CB. MPNOF) were studied by the same method. The general use of anthracene-d₁₀ for ²H NMR spectroscopy as probe molecule for liquid crystalline polymers is discussed.