Synthesis and characterization of liquid-crystalline polyphosphonates containing disubstituted ferrocene esters as mesogens

A series of ferrocene-containing liquid-crystalline polyphosphonates with an even number of methylene groups are reported. All the polymers gave birefringent melts. The mesophase was identified as transparent with an increase in the spacer. The effects of pendant substitution and the spacer were studied with thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The effects of the phosphonate group in the spacer and the ferrocene ester group in the mesogen were examined. The presence of a steplike mesogenic structure and a pendant phenyl group in the spacer led to reductions in the glass-transition and melting temperatures. The ferrocene moiety in the mesogen might be one of the reasons for the increased thermal stability and decreased liquid crystallinity. An energy-minimized structure for the mesogenic and spacer segments was created with computer-modeling programs, and it suggested the reason for the reductions in the glass-transition and melting temperatures. (C) 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.