PIEZOELECTRIC LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE ELASTOMERS

Piezoelectric materials have no inversion center in the crystal structure–this prerequisite for the piezoelectric effect is also a feature of cholesteric and chiral smectic (C*) liquid‐crystal phases. This arouses expectations that the development of elastomers in which the network properties are combined with the existence of these phases will lead to an enormous expansion in the application of piezoelectric polymers. The main advantages over piezoelectric ceramics are the ease with which elements of any desired shape can be manufactured, the good mechanical properties, and the chemical inertness. Copyright © 1991 by VCH Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Germany