Synthesis and phase behavior of side-group liquid crystalline polymers in nematic solvents

A model system of side-group liquid crystalline polymers (SGLCPs) with systematically varied molecular weight (from 78 to 420 kg/mol; PDI less than or equal to 1.16) and spacer length (8-12 atoms long) was prepared by polymer analogous synthesis. Matching the structure of the mesogenic units to that of the nematic solvent produced excellent solubility, even at molecular weights an order of magnitude greater than in prior literature on SGLCP solutions. Addition of up to 10 wt % polymer did not affect the ordinary and extraordinary refractive indices of the nematic host (4-pentyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl, 5CB), indicating that the order parameter was not significantly affected by the polymer.