FTIR Spectroscopic Studies of Molecular Arrangements of Reactive Mesogen Mixtures

Mixtures of a reactive mesogen with a small size liquid crystal (LC) exhibit a depression of transition temperature from LC to liquid phase. Since small LC molecules impede the formation of regular arrangement of reactive mesogen molecules, they behave like impurities which retard the formation of the LC phase. By curing the LC mixture, which shows a uniform nematic LC phase, a network structure is formed with the reactive mesogen, and the arrangement of LC molecules are maintained over the transition temperature from LC to liquid phase. The small LC molecules in the LC mixture maintain the same molecular arrangement with the reactive mesogen molecule through pi-pi interactions.