Cyclohexylene Reactive Mesogens and Their Applications

Compounds of formula I

• R1—A-(B)b—R2 I
• wherein
• R1 and R2 are independently of each other selected from H, F, Cl, Br, I, CN, NCS, SF5, or straight-chain or branched alkyl having 1 to 30 C-atoms that is optionally mono- or polysubstituted by F, Cl, Br, I or CN, and in which one or more non-adjacent CH2 groups are optionally replaced, in each case independently from one another, by —O—, —S—, —NH—, —NR0—, —SiR0R00—, —CO—, —COO—, —OCO—, —OCO—O—, —S—CO—, —CO—S—, —CY1═CY2— or —C≡C— in such a manner that O and/or S atoms are not linked directly to one another, or denote P-Sp-, with at least one of R1 and R2 being P-Sp,
• R0 and R00 independently of each other denote H or alkyl with 1 to 12 C-atoms,
• Y1 and Y2 independently of each other denote H or F,
• P is a polymerisable group,
• Sp is a spacer group or a single bond,
• A and B are independently of each other 1,4-cyclohexylene wherein one or more —CH2— groups are optionally replaced by —O— and/or —S—, in such a way, that no two O-atoms are linked together and that is optionally substituted,
• b is 0 or 1
• and from which compounds wherein
• b is 0,
• R1 and R2 are P-Sp,
• P is acrylate or methacrylate and
• Sp is a single bond or a —CH2— group are excluded.