RECOGNITION OF A NEW-TYPE OF MAIN-CHAIN LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE POLYMER - POLY(1-OLEFIN SULFONES)

By observations with the polarizing microscope and by DSC studies we s how that poly(eicosene sulfone), poly(hexadecene sulfone), and a numbe r of copolymers of the latter with cyclohexene are main chain liquid c rystalline polymers and have liquid crystalline phases at temperatures between the ambient temperature and 100-degrees-C. The sensitivity of the clearing temperature and a softening point to molecular weight ha s been measured for poly(hexadecene sulfone)samples. A liquid crystall ine schlieren texture has been photographed for a copoly(hexadec-1-ene -cyclohexene sulfone) containing 10% of the latter residues. C-13 MAS NMR measurements on a high molecular weight poly(hexadecene sulfone) s how that there is a dispersion of backbone shifts present at low tempe ratures (-60-degrees-C) and that this is also present in the liquid cr ystalline state, indicating conformational stiffness and consistent wi th a hairy rod model for the polymers.