Liquid Crystalline Side Chain Polymers with Fluorene as Mesogenic Group

Abstract The properties of some liquid crystalline side chain polysiloxanes with 2,7-disubstituted fluorene as mesogenic unit are reported. The polymers exhibit smectic A and smectic E like textures. Beside DSC and polarizing microscopy 2H NMR spectroscopy was used to characterize the phase transitions. Anthracene-d10 was used as a solute probe molecule and its order parameters were calculated in the liquid crystalline polymer phases. Two other low molecular weight liquid crystals (8CB. MPNOF) were studied by the same method. The general use of anthracene-d10 for 2H NMR spectroscopy as probe molecule for liquid crystalline polymers is discussed.