Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Various Branched Polymeric Liquid Crystals

We discuss molecular dynamics simulations for several types of polymeric liquid crystals. Dendrimers with a variety of mesogenic attachments are studied in isotropic, nematic and smectic A solvents, with an emphasize on the coupling between molecular shape and the structure of the phase. The structure and dynamics of liquid crystal side-chain polymers are studied within different bulk phases. Here, again a strong coupling is noted between molecular shape and molecular organisation within each phase. We also consider photo-induced deformation in azobenzene-containing polymers and demonstrate that the “opposite sign” of these deformations, observed experimentally in liquid crystalline and amorphous systems, can be explained solely by the reorientation of trans-isomers of azobenzene.