The effect of the smectic and isotropic phase on the photopolymerization of the chiral liquid crystal acrylate 4--acryloyloxyundecanloxy-4'-[thylbutyloxyl-biphenyl (monomer(I)) was studied using -FT--IR. In the meantime

the effect of temperature on the birefringence of surface-oriented monomer(I) andits polymer obtained by in-situ photopolymerization was investigated

too. The results show that the photopolymerization in the isotropic phase is conducted at ahigher rate than in the smectic phase when monomer conversion is less than 60%

however

the polymerization rate is independent of the initial phase state of the monomer when conversion is above 60%

and the highlyoriented liquid-crystalline polyacrylate film can be prepared by in-situ photopolymerization of the surface-ori-ented chiral acrylate(I).