Cholesteric phase-forming polymers, process for their preparation and their use

A polymer or oligomer which forms cholesteric phases, essentially consisting, as molecular building blocks, of

• A. at least one bifunctional chiral molecular building block which contains at least one cyclic structural element other than a monosubstituted p-phenylene group;
• B. at least on bifunctional achiral or racemic molecular building block which contains at least one cyclic structural element containing at least four ring members;
• and
• C. at least cyclic bifunctional achiral or chiral molecular building block which is different from the molecular building blocks A and B actually employed,
• where the molecular building blocks are linked by ester groups containing (C.dbd.O).dbd. and O--C.dbd.O, carbonic esters containing O--(C.dbd.O)--O, amide groups CONH, N-substituted amide CONR, cyclic imide containing six ring members, azomethines CH.dbd.N and CR.dbd.N, where the radical R is identical or different and is C.sub.1 -C.sub.22 -alkyl, -aryl, or -aralkyl,
• with the proviso that the molecular building block A is not derived exclusively from camphoric acid.