Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Chiral Liquid Crystalline Monomers and Polymers Derived From Menthol

Abstract

The synthesis of two chiral mesogenic monomers (IM−IIM) derived from menthol and the corresponding polymers (IP−IIP) is described in this study. The chemical structures were characterized by FT-IR and ¹H NMR spectra. The thermal properties and optical textures were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and polarizing optical microscopy (POM). IM and IIM showed cholesteric phase and blue phase. IM also exhibited a chiral smectic C phase. IP and IIP showed a smectic A (SmA) phase, this indicated that the liquid crystalline (LC) polymers with siloxane chains tended to form a lower order smectic phase. TGA reveals that the temperatures at which 5% mass loss occurred of the polymers obtained were above 310°C.

Keywords:

• Chiral
• liquid crystalline polymers
• menthol
• monomers

Acknowledgment

The authors are grateful to the Educational Development of Liaoning Province for financial support of this work.