Resin blends and methods for making same

A method for producing a resin blend comprising

• producing a mixture comprising a quantity of primary polymerizable mesogen and an amount of one or more secondary polymerizable mesogen selected from the group consisting of mesogenic dimers and polymerizable elongated diphenolic platform molecules comprising four phenylene rings or more, wherein said resin blend has a curing temperature (Tc) of about 40° C. or less and, upon curing, exhibits a polymerization shrinkage of about 3 vol % change or less;
• said primary polymerizable mesogen having the following general structure:
• wherein X and Y comprise polymerizable groups;
• R2 is a bulky organic group having a bulk greater than R1 and R3, said bulk being adapted to provide sufficient steric hindrance to achieve a nematic state at room temperature while suppressing crystallinity of liquid crystal monomers made using the mesogens at room temperature;
• and,
• R1 and R3 are selected from groups less bulky than R2.

A resin blend comprising:

• one or more primary liquid crystal monomer at a ratio to one or more secondary monomer, said secondary monomer and said ratio being adapted to maintain said resin blend in a nematic liquid crystalline state after addition of inorganic filler at a temperature of 20° C. for about 30 minutes or more, the resin blend having a polymerization shrinkage of 3 vol. % or less,
• the primary liquid crystal monomer having the following general structure:
• wherein X and Y comprise polymerizable groups;
• R2 is a bulky organic group having a bulk greater than R1 and R3, said bulk being adapted to provide sufficient steric hindrance to achieve a nematic state at room temperature while suppressing crystallinity of liquid crystal monomers made using the mesogens at room temperature;
• and,
• R1 and R3 are selected from groups less bulky than R2;
• said secondary monomer comprising one or more mesogens having the following general structure:
• wherein:
• n is from about-2 to about 5;
• R2 is a bulky organic group;
• R1 and R3 are selected from groups less bulky than R2;
• R10 independently is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and methyl groups;
• R14 independently is selected from the group consisting of substituted and unsubstituted alkyl groups having from about 2 to about 6 carbon atoms, provided that said substituted alkyl groups consist essentially of one or fewer methyl substituents;
• R13 independently is selected from the group consisting of alkylene groups having from about 2 to about 12 carbon atoms.