Synthesis and characterization of novel side-chain liquid crystalline polycarbonates

Side-chain liquid crystalline (SCLC) polycarbonates were prepared by copolymerization of carbon dioxide with epoxides, carrying a nitrostilbene mesogenic group and spacers of different lengths. The polymerization, carried out in an autoclave at high carbon dioxide pressure, was catalyzed by an organozinc catalyst. The number average molecular weight of the polymers, as determined by GPC, was in the range of 4,300 to 38,000. The polydispersity of the polymers ranged from 5.9 to 80. H-1 NMR and C-13 NMR studies revealed that the obtained polymers contain carbonate linkages (67-94%) as well as ether linkages in their backbone. Liquid-crystalline properties of the polymers were investigated by DSC, X-Ray diffraction and polarized optical microscopy.