Usieciowane polimery ciekłokrystaliczne

Liquid crystalline (LC) networks are fast growing group of materials with many possible applications. They can be divided into lightly crosslinked polymers with elastic properties and highly crosslinked networks with very high molecular order. Most of them contain typical, anizotropic, rigid mesogenic units known for other LC materials, but some of them exhibit mesomorphic properties although, they do not possess any such units. Typical mesogenic groups can be incorporated into main chains or side chains of poymers or both. The density of crosslinking of LC polymers is difficult to measure, and the effect of crosslinking on LC properties is still not clear. Although LC elastomers possess very interesting mechanical properties they are still too expensive for any large-scale applications. Crosslinking of polymers in liquid crystalline state or applying mechanical stress to already orientation of mesogens without any electric or magnetic fields. The coupling between elastic and mesomorphic behaviour of LC elastomers leads to many useful properties like piezoelectrity, second harmonic generation, opalescence and good separation ability.