Side chain LCE (SC-LCE) were the first single crystal LCE prepared, done in Heino Finkelmann's lab at Freiburg University. These materials are composed of three components. The SCLCE may be prepared by either spin casting using the 2 step alignment process developed by Kupfe and Finkelmann, or in a cell and then aligned by an external magnetic field. The photograph illustrates the shows a typical film in an intermediate stage of alignment. Simon Krause from Prof. Finkelmann's Group provided instructions for making these materials during his visit in 2006.
This material may be prepared either by spin casting or photo-crosslinked in a cell. When made in a cell, the glass is coated with a sacrificial layer and is photo-crosslinked. When spin cast, the material is made using a chemical crosslinker.
Reaction progress can be monitored by UV-VIS spectroscopy, with the actual size and morphology of the Au NR checked by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM).