Polymer Liquid Crystals

Polymer Liquid Crystals covers the significant developments in the field of highlight oriented polymers. This 12-chapter book emerged from lectures presented during the seminar "Polymer Liquid Crystals: Science and Technology", held at Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy on May 19-23, 1981.

The opening chapters highlight the molecular basis of liquid crystallinity. The subsequent chapters deal with the synthesis, structure, properties, and macroscopic phenomena of polymer liquid crystals. These topics are followed by descriptions of the orientation of liquid crystals, specifically the instabilities in low molecular weight nematic and cholesteric liquid crystals. The final chapters consider the applications of these crystals to display devices and the advances in high-strength fibers and molecular composites.

This book will be of great value to polymer liquid crystal chemists and researchers.

Contenu

List of Contributors
Preface
1 Relationship between Chemical Structure and Properties for Low Molecular Weight Liquid Crystals
I. Introduction
II. Structural Considerations of Low MW LC Systems
References
2 Synthesis, Structure, and Properties of Liquid Crystalline Side Chain Polymers
I. Introduction
II. Synthesis of Polymers Having Mesogenic Side Chains
III. Influence of the Chemical Constitution on the Type of Mesophase Formed
IV. Liquid Crystalline Elastomers
References
3 Rigid and Semirigid Chain Polymeric Mesogens
I. Generalities
II. Undiluted Systems
III. Diluted Systems
References
4 Molecular Theories of Liquid Crystals
I. Introduction
II. Lattice Theory for Noninteracting Rods
III. Orientation-Dependent Interactions
IV. Summary and Conclusions
References
5 Mechanical Properties of Nematic Polymers
I. General Aims
II. Rigid Rods in Isotropic Solvents
III. Dilute Rods in Nematic Solvents
IV. Semirigid Molecules: The Conformation Problem
V. Semirigid Molecules: Mechanical Properties
Appendix. Shape Fluctuation of a Semirigid Chain in a Nematic Matrix of Small Molecules
References
6 Macroscopic Phenomena in Nematic Polymers
I. Introduction
II. Statics
III. Dynamics
IV. Conclusion
References
7 Techniques for the Evaluation of Material Constants in Lyotropic Systems and the Study of Pretransitional Phenomena in Polymeric Liquid Crystals
I. Introduction
II. Lyotropic Polymer Liquid Crystals
III. Elastic Moduli of Liquid Crystals: k11, k22, k33
IV. Dependence of the kii on Molecular Factors: Theoretical Considerations, Large Molecules
V. Experimental Methods
VI. Progress to Date with Poly(benzyl glutamate) Liquid Crystals
References
8 Instabilities in Low Molecular Weight Nematic and Cholesteric Liquid Crystals
I. Introduction
II. Electrohydrodynamic Instabilities in Nematics
III. Two Illustrative Experiments on Nematic Flow
IV. Hydrodynamic Instabilities in Nematics
V. Thermal Instabilities in Nematics
VI. Instabilities in Cholesteric Liquid Crystals
Appendix. Material Constants for MBBA and HBAB
References
9 Rheo-Optical Studies of Polymer Liquid Crystalline Solutions
I. Introduction
II. Structure of Solutions of Liquid Crystalline Polymers
III. Experimental Methods
IV. General Optical Considerations for the Polarized Light Method
V. Processes of Structure Formation in Cholesteric Liquid Crystals Studied by Spectrophotometric Methods
VI. Deformation and Flow Mechanisms for Some Typical Polymeric Liquid Crystalline Solutions
VII. Concluding Remarks
References
10 The Effects of External Fields on Polymeric Nematic and Cholesteric Mesophases
I. Introduction
II. Magnetic-Field Effects
III. Electric-Field Effects
IV. Viscous Flow
References
11 Liquid Crystal Display Devices
I. Introduction
II. Design of Displays
III. Optimization of Displays
IV. Back Light Layout
References
12 Recent Advances in High-Strength Fibers and Composites
I. Introduction
II. Role of the Liquid Crystalline State
III. High-Modulus, High-Strength Fibers from Thermotropic Polymers
IV. Ultrahigh-Modulus, Ultrahigh-Strength Fibers by Solution Spinning and Drawing
V. Molecular Reinforcement
References
Index