Synthesis and Phase Behavior of Polysiloxane Nematic Liquid Crystal Elastomers

摘要

This paper describes the synthesis of new side chain nematic liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) by a one-step hydrosilication reaction. The phase behavior and mesomorphism were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarizing optical microscopy (POM), and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The effect of the content of crosslinking units on the phase behavior and mesomorphism of elastomers P1 - P8 was discussed. The nematic LCEs exhibit elasticity, reversible phase transitions, and nematic thread texture. The experimental results demonstrate that the glass transition temperature and isotropic temperature of nematic LCEs decreased with increasing the content of crosslinking unit.