Phase Behavior of Blends of Polymers and Smectic-A Liquid Crystals

The phase behavior of blends of polymers and smectic-A liquid crystals (LCs) is investigated using Flory-Huggins and Maier-Saupe-McMillan theories. Various examples are considered to depict the effects of the architecture and the size of the polymer together with the nature of anisotropic ordering forces on the phase diagram. The strength of these forces is characterized by a parameter alpha which is directly related to the temperature of the smectic-nematic transition. Three cases are considered depending on the value of alpha, and the corresponding phase diagrams are constructed. Substantial differences are observed in these diagrams, and the reasons for these differences are discussed. A comparative study is performed between mixtures of polymers and LCs, where the polymer is made of linear and crosslinked chains. The LC consists either of molecules with nematic ordering only or of molecules presenting both nematic and smectic-A ordering. Blends where polymer matrices are cross-linked networks are also examined. Remarkable properties are found in the nature of the phase diagrams for such mixtures. In general, it is observed that the ordering forces favor unmixing with a stronger effect for the higher smectic-A ordering. Spinodal curves are also reported for these mixtures. The effects of fluctuations near the transition temperatures are briefly discussed.