ELECTROOPTICAL PROPERTIES OF SOLUTIONS OF POLY(DECAMETHYL CYCLOHEXASILOXANE) AND ITS LOW-MOLECULAR-MASS ANALOGS

The Kerr effect measurements were performed for the dilute solutions o f two samples of a cyclolinear polymer, poly(decamethyl cyclohexasilox ane), and a series of low-molecular-mass cyclohexasiloxanes representi ng analogues of the repeating unit of this polymer. The corresponding dipole moments were determined The experimental data showed that the e lectrooptical effect in the solutions of both high- and low-molecular- mass cyclohexasiloxanes has a dipole-orientational character. It was e stablished that a decamethyl cyclohexasiloxane cycle is an element of the polymer chain that exhibits independent orientation in the externa l electric field. This element retains its conformation upon replaceme nt of the side groups by other polar substituents.