Electric field effects on a liquid‐crystalline side chain polymer with a negative dielectric anisotropy

The behavior of methacrylic side chain polymers in an electric field was observed for a homopolymer (1) exhibiting a negative dielectric anisotropy compared with a copolymer (2) of positive dielectric anisotropy. Homopolymer 1 orients spontaneously homeotropic and thus enables the determination of the threshold voltage, rise time and decay time. Based on these experimental results the bend elastic constant and viscosity coefficient were estimated using literature values for the dielectric anisotropy. With respect to the bend elastic constant and electrohydrodynamic effects (e.g. Williams Domains) the homopolymer behaves similarly to low‐molar‐mass liquid crystals, while owing to the high viscosity coefficient response times are large in magnitude.