Abstract
Mesomorphic characteristics and bistable electro-optical switching characteristics driven by a.c. electric fields with different frequencies were investigated for the (liquid crystalline copolymer with terminal trifluoromethoxy groups: LCcoP-F/low molecular weight nematic liquid crystals : nematic LCs) composite systems in a smectic state. The novel LCcoP-Fs were synthesized through poly(hydrosilation) reaction in order to improve the switching speed due to a reduction of viscosity of the binary composite systems. The LCcoP-F with short spacer length m = 3 showed a smectic phase. On the other hand, the LCcoP-F with long spacer length m = 6 showed crystalline and smectic phases. The binary composite systems composed of the LCcoP-F with the higher fraction of than 30 wt% and the nematic LCs with terminal fluoro groups showed compatible smectic phases at room temperature. The binary composite systems showed the higher speed electro-optical switching as well as the stable memory effect at room temperature.
