SYNTHESIS AND MESOMORPHIC PROPERTIES OF FISHBONE-LIKE LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE POLYSILSESQUIOXANES .3. FISHBONE-LIKE, AZO-BASED LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE POLYSILSESQUIOXANE

Homopolymeric H-FP (FP: fishbone-like, ate-based liquid crystalline po lysilsesquioxanes) and copolymeric C-FP were synthesized by hydrosilyl ation reaction of a vinyl-terminated azo compound with a ladder-like p oly(hydrosilsesquioxane (H-T) and random poly(methylhydrosilsesquioxan e) (MH-T), respectively, in the presence of Cp(2)PtCl(2) (Cp: cyclopen tadienyl) used as the catalyst. This new type of liquid crystalline po lymers is thermotropic. With increasing temperature FP's first enter a mesophase showing a normal texture, and then some peculiar textures d ifferent from the ordinary mesophase appear at an elevated temperature showing some bright belts, lines and spots on the black background, w hich can be supposed to be a self-organized structure originating from ladder-like main chain aggregation or association via interaction bet ween the mesomorphic side chains.