Abstract
Side-chain liquid crystalline poly(oxyethylene)s (PPB0, PPB2, and PPB6) containing mesogenic 4-hydroxybenzoic acid 4-[(S)-2-methyl-1-butoxyl]-phenyl ester moiety with different spacer groups were synthesized and characterized. Phase transitions and textures of liquid crystalline phases were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the polarizing optical microscopy, respectively. All the synthesized polymers showed smectic A phases. However, the chiral smectic C phase was observed only in the polymer without spacer (PPB0). Glass transition temperatures of these polymers ranged from -11$^{\circ}C$ to 5$0^{\circ}C$, which decreased with increasing spacer length. Enantiotropic liquid crystallinities were observed in all the side-chain liquid crystalline poly(oxyethylene)s above their glass transition temperatures.
