Abstract
We report here on the contrasts observed betweeen a terpolymer with ordered chemical sequences and its chemically disordered isomer. The chemically ordered terpolymer and its disordered analogue were both liquid crystal polymers synthesized in our laboratory. Optical microscopy reveals that the disordered isomer exhibits a biphasic region spanning 120 °C where both birefringent and isotropic fluid coexist. In great contrast, the chemically ordered terpolymer exhibits a distinct transition from the liquid crystalline to the isotropic phase over the very narrow range of 5 °C.Furthermore, the ordered isomer responds more readily than the disordered polymer to the guiding effect of grooved surfaces toward long-range backbone alignment. The ordered-sequence polymer also reveals a clearly defined crystallization from the birefringent fluid whereas the disordered isomer exhibits an optically indistinct “crystallization”.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1222-1227 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Macromolecules |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 1988 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Organic Chemistry
- Polymers and Plastics
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Materials Chemistry