Abstract
Liquid crystalline networks combine high-dimensional stability and mechanical orientability typical of polymer networks with the unique anisotropic behavior of liquid crystals. The ability of liquid crystals to self order into supramolecular structures capable of being macroscopically oriented by external electric and magnetic fields is transferred to the thermoset system. This is a very effective way of tailoring phase transitions, tuning the properties to desired levels, and to control organization at the molecular level. This chapter aims to create a molecular system where one could not only align the components in external fields, but also selectively control and lock-in the direction of alignment by network formation. Such materials possess physical and chemical properties that are very different along each orientation, and one could conceive of using photochemistry, for example, to form films with order and orientation set in specified regions. By establishing orientation in a controlled fashion, the properties of such a film can be varied on demand prior to cross-linking using a single chemical precursor to form new materials with tunable transport, optical, and mechanical properties. These properties are then retained even at very high temperatures because of the presence of the network.
Published Version
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