THEODORE DAVIDSON: Institute of Materials Science University of Connecticut Storrs
Liquid crystal phase behavior is exhibited by certain organic molecules called mesogens. Some moieties that are not themselves mesogens can induce this property when suspended by molecular spacers from the backbone of a flexible polymer chain. These "side-chain" liquid crystal polymers can be aligned by electric, magnetic, or shear fields, and some exhibit nonlinear optical effects.
R.B. Findlay, T.J. Lemmon, A.H. Windle, "A comparative study of side chain liquid crystalline polymers and their monomers designed for nonlinear optical applications," Journal of Materials Research, 6, 604-9, March 1991. (University of Cambridge, England)
Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films are ordered perpendicular to the interface, but when deposited on substrates they form lateral domains or two-dimensional microcrystals. If molecular mobility could be conferred upon the amphiphiles, possibilities open for in-plane, long-range ordering and, possibly, the formation of a single domain. Through the synthesis of amphiphilic...
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