Structure Investigation of Mesogenic Homo- and Copolymers Based on Chiral and Achiral Acrylates

Abstract

The X-ray diffraction method was used to study the structure of mesogenic homo- and copolymers based on chiral and achiral acrylates (disubstituted biphenyl and phenylbenzoate) under the orienting influence of magnetic and (in some cases) electric fields. The analysis of diffraction patterns was carried out in terms of the Hosemann model of a paracrystal using structural modeling and diffraction calculations on models. It was established that chiral and achiral homopolymers form smectic bilayer polar structures, but the structure of the achiral homopolymer possesses weak polarization due to small value of total dipole moment of C=O groups in the side chains. The copolymers (as the chiral homopolymer) form smectic bilayer polar helicoidal structures. The distribution of chiral and achiral components in the layers of the common bilayer depends on their ratios in the copolymer. In turn, this distribution affects both the step of helicoidal structure and the nature of structural-phase transformations in the copolymers. A comparative evaluation of the orientational effects of magnetic and electric fields on the structure of the chiral homopolymer and the copolymers has been carried out. The analysis of the temperature dependences of diffraction and structural parameters of the investigated polymers allowed us to explain some features of their behaviour within seemingly similar (by the type of X-ray patterns) smectic phases.