DIPOLAR ASSOCIATION OF LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE SIDE-CHAIN HOMOPOLYMERS AND COPOLYMERS

The dipolar association of liquid crystalline side chain homo- and copolymers is analysed by dielectric relaxation spectroscopy. The side chains of the polymers possess similar shape but contain polar and/or non-polar mesogenic units. In analogy to mixtures of low molar mass liquid crystals the dielectric properties of these homo- and copolymers deviate from ideal behaviour and the deviations are clearly deduced from the dipolar associations of the polar mesogenic units. However due to the linkage of the liquid crystalline moieties to the polymer backbone the dipolar association is much more pronounced than association of low molar mass liquid crystals having a very similar chemical constitution.