LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE POLYMER PHASE HAVING A CHOLESTERIC STRUCTURE, PROCESSES FOR ITS PREPARATION AND ITS USE

摘要

O.Z. 0050/033,922 A liquid-crystalline polymer phase having an induced cholesteric structure comprises a component having a chiral structure and a component having a nematic structure and contains a polymer with nematogenic units of the formula , wherein R1 is hydrogen or methyl, n is an integer from 1 to 6 and R3 represents specific structural elements containing at least two phenylene groups. Preferred is a copolymer comprising a component of the above formula and an additional chiral component of similar structure, prepared by copolymerisation of the nematogenic monomer with the chiral monomer. The liquid-crystalline polymer phase permits variation of the wavelength of the reflected light .lambda.R, and its cholesteric structure can be converted to the glassy polymer state and remains preserved in the solid state. Such liquid-crystalline polymer phases can be used in integrated optics, opto-electronics and information storage, e.g. for the manufacture of polarization filters or selective reflectors.