Structure-property relationships of smectic liquid crystalline polyacrylates as revealed by SAXS

Main-chain smectic liquid-crystalline polymers as randomly disordered systems.

We report a high-resolution X-ray lineshape study of main-chain smectic polymers. The results indicate that the layer ordering differs fundamentally from the algebraic decay typical for other smectic liquid-crystalline systems. The lineshapes are best described by broad squared Lorentzians indicating some form of short-range correlations. However, several higher harmonics are observed, which ex...

Shape memory effect exhibited by smectic-C liquid crystalline elastomers.

It was long expected and recently shown that main-chain liquid crystalline elastomers (MC-LCEs) may serve as high performance soft actuators due to a coupling of their intrinsic characteristics of high, yet labile, ordering and network strain. Here, we present the synthesis of new siloxane-based smectic MC-LCEs. These new materials exhibit a unique thermomechanical behavior known as the shape m...

Nanostructure of hydrated wheat protein gliadin as revealed by SAXS

Microdeformation of a polydomain, smectic liquid crystalline thermoset

The microdeformation and fracture mechanisms of a densely crosslinked, polydomain, smectic liquid crystalline thermoset (LCT) were investigated in order to gain some insight into its interesting mechanical properties (e.g. improved fracture toughness). A difunctional LC epoxy monomer, diglycidyl ether of 4,4′-dihydroxy-α-methylstilbene (DGDHMS), was crosslinked with the tetrafunctional, aromati...

Deformation of a Polydomain, Smectic Liquid Crystalline Elastomer

A main-chain, polydomain, smectic liquid crystalline elastomer (LCE) was prepared by reacting the LC epoxy monomer, diglycidyl ether of 4,4′-dihydroxy-R-methylstilbene, with the aliphatic diacid, sebacic acid. When deformed in uniaxial tension, a “polydomain-to-monodomain” transition took place leading to bulk, macroscopic orientation. With this process was associated a plateau in the nominal s...