| Controlling order is very important for modulating the properties of polymers. Liquid-crystalline polymers (LCPs) are polymers that spontaneously self-assemble into a mesophase with a degree of order intermediate to the crystalline phase and the isotropic melt. In certain circumstances, the introduction of chirality in these LCPs can lead to unique bulk properties such as piezoelectricity, pyroelectricity, and ferroelectricity. A method for creating a robust, highly cross-linked network that is also highly ordered via the use of chiral, cross-linkable liquid crystal (LC) diacrylates is proposed.; Chapter One describes the accomplishments to date in the field of LCs and LCPs, elastomers, gels, and networks. It seeks to assess the merits and drawbacks of each of these systems. Solutions to address the shortcomings of these currently-used polymeric systems are offered.; Chapter Two describes the process of designing an intrinsically chiral, cross-linkable LC monomer that forms a layered smectic (S) LC phase, only one example of which is known in the literature. An initial LC monomer, IM6, was designed, synthesized and tested. Based on the behavior of IM6, a revised LC monomer C10C6 was synthesized. C10C6 was found to exhibit chiral smectic LC mesophases, and one of these smectic phases was successfully locked-in by photo-cross-linking. However, the desired tilted Sc* phase was not stable enough to be trapped by polymerization.; Chapter Three describes the first in a series of systematic analyses to determine the influence of molecular components on LC mesophase behavior for the general LC platform based on C10C6: CpCn. The length of the aliphatic spacer was initially investigated. Although a more stable SC* mesophase was not discovered, previously unseen mesophases appeared as the chain length was varied.; Chapter Four describes the next steps in the systematic modification of CpCn by examining the effect of varying: (1) the placement of the chiral center with respect to the rigid core; (2) the presence of a lateral dipole; and (3) the presence of the acrylate groups. The rationale, synthesis, and results for each variation are presented and discussed.; Chapter Five concludes by describing a novel application of these chiral cross-linkable LC diacrylates. CpCn is used as a chiral cross-linker in conjunction with a monofunctional LC monomer to create new chiral LC elastomers. The overall interest in these elastomeric systems is discussed along with our experimental results. |
