New discotic liquid crystals with one, two, or three reactive acrylate end groups were synthesized. They exhibit a wide discotic nematic phase and show spontaneous homeotropic alignment between substrates. The photoinitiated polymerization of these materials was studied. "In-situ photopolymerization" of these disklike acrylates leads to transparent and thermally stable films with a negative birefringence.

Discotic liquid crystals can be used as optical compensation layers to improve the viewing angle of twisted nematic liquid crystal displays, for example. The in situ photopolymerization of newly synthesized acrylates is shown to result in oriented films with a negative birefringence. The transition temperatures, birefringence, and thermal stability were measured and the structure of the polymers was determined by wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction in order to explain the difference in optical properteis between various polymers.

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