Preparation and evaluation of novel side-chain liquid-crystalline polydienes using photoinitiated free-radical cyclopolymerization

This investigation has shown that the technique of photoinitiated free-radical polymerization can be used successfully to produce a variety of side-chain liquid-crystalline (SCLC) polydienes, which contain novel alicyclic ring structures along the polymer backbone. With the appropriate side chain, ferroelectric SCLC polymers can be prepared exhibiting wide S-C* ranges and low T-g values. By synthesising a polydiene incorporating a lactone-ring structure, clear evidence is provided that these types of polymers do contain an alicyclic ring structure along the polymer backbone. The systematic approach adopted for this investigation has also shown that the low DP values obtained for all the polydienes were due to degradative chain transfer.