Molecular engineering of liquid-crystalline polymers: architecture and functionalization

In the past few years molecular engineering of liquid-crystalline (LC) polymers with respect to molecular architecture and functionalization has become increasingly important. Molecular architecture of LC polymers, i.e. the variation of the arrangement of mesogens, the variation of their shapes (rod, disc, board) and the variation of the polymer backbone, leads to polymers with new LC phases and new properties. Functionalized or dye-containing polymers can be used for a destruction or even the formation of the LC phase by photoreactions as well as for photochromic effects. The induction of discotic phases in amorphous polymers with disc-like mesogens is possible by charge-transfer interactions and opens the accessibility for a wide variety of highly oriented polymer systems.