HYDRODYNAMIC, OPTICAL, AND ELECTROOPTICAL PROPERTIES OF AROMATIC POLYESTER BEARING TETRAPHENYLENE GROUPS IN THE MAIN-CHAIN

Translational and rotational frictions as well as the optical and elec trooptical properties of the molecules of aromatic ester bearing tetra phenylene groups were studied in a dilute solution. The length of the Kuhn segment A was found to be 28.5 x 10(-8) cm, and the optical aniso tropies of the segment alpha(1)-alpha(2) and the monomer unit of macro molecule Delta a were found to be equal to 290 X 10(-25) cm(3). It was shown that the conformational properties of molecules and the pattern of intermolecular rotations of the polymer under study coincide with the analogous properties of alkylenearomatic polyester of similar stru cture containing biphenylene groups in the main chain. Introduction of tetraphenylene groups causes an increase in the values of alpha(1)-al pha(2) and Delta a. The Kerr constant of the polymer [K = -4.8 x 10(-1 2) g(-1) cm(5) (300 V)(-2)] is small, and its sign is opposite to that of flow birefringence. This is related to a marked kinetic flexibilit y of molecular chain in electric field.