Liquid crystalline side group polymers with fluorine-containing azo-chromophores

A series of side group liquid crystalline polymethacrylates with 4'-trifluoromethoxyazobenzene mesogenic side groups was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing microscopy and X-ray diffraction methods depending on the spacer length. The phase behaviour was compared with literature data for analogous non-fluorinated compounds. An unusual phase polymorphism N-S-Ad-I was observed for the polymers with spacer length n=5 and 6.