Phase Diagrams and Optical Properties of New Menthylcontaining LC Copolymers Forming Chiral Mesophases.

A.Yu. Bobrovsky, N.I. Boiko, V.P. Shibaev

Chemistry Department, Moscow State University,

Vorobyevy Gory, 119899 Moscow, Russia.

Running title: New Chiral Photochromic LC Copolymers.

New comb-shaped LC copolymers based on phenyl benzoate and menthyl-containing monomers were

synthesized. Phase behavior, optical properties and structure of the synthesized copolymers with

different compositions were studied. Specific features of the development of helical nematic and

smectic mesophases (N*, NB*, Ncyb*, SmA*, blue phases) were revealed. A special attention was paid

to studying the structure and optical properties of new chiral NB* mesophase. For this unusual type of

mesophase, a model accounting for arrangement of mesogenic groups was suggested.