LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE POLYMER PHASE HAVING A CHOLESTERIC STRUCTURE, PROCESSES FOR ITS PREPARATION AND ITS USE

摘要

O.Z. 0050/033,922ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE: A liquid-crystalline polymer phasehaving an induced cholesteric structure comprises a componenthaving a chiral structure and a component having a nematic struc-ture and contains a polymer with nematogenic units of the formula , wherein R1 is hydrogen or methyl, n is aninteger from 1 to 6 and R3 represents specific structural elementscontaining at least two phenylene groups. Preferred is a copolymercomprising a component of the above formula and an additionalchiral component of similar structure, prepared by copolymerisationof the nematogenic monomer with the chiral monomer.The liquid-crystalline polymer phase permits variation of thewavelength of the reflected light .lambda.R, and its cholesteric struc-ture can be converted to the glassy polymer state and remainspreserved in the solid state. Such liquid-crystalline polymerphases can be used in integrated optics, opto-electronics andinformation storage, e.g. for the manufacture of polarizationfilters or selective reflectors.