CONFORMATIONS OF LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE POLYM ERS WITH MESOGENIC GROUPS IN THE MAIN-CHAIN

Conformations of macromolecules with rigid mesogens and flexible space rs in the main chain depends primary on the set of conformations of '' dimers'' containing two mesogens connected with flexible spacer. The c onformational analysis of single dimers with (-CH-2)n (n = 5 - 10) spa cers was carried out in rotation-isomeric state approximation. Compari son of obtained results with the data of IR-spectroscopy and X-ray ana lysis have permited to make a conclusion about the strong elongation o f the dimers and the macromolecules as a whole in the LC state. The co nformational reorganisation of the model dimers with different discret e states was theoretically investigated. It-was shown that this reorga nisation at the point of the LC-isotrope phase transition leads to inc rease of the jump value of the order parameter at this point.