Static and dynamic light scattering from pi-conjugated poly(4BCMU) in tolue
ne solutions were measured at 353 K (yellow phase) and 323 K (red phase) to
evaluate the hydrodynamic radius R-h and the fractal dimension D. It was s
uggested that poly(4BCMU) may exist not as an isolated worm-like chain but
as a weakly interacted cluster-like domain in the yellow phase. The domain
was considered to be elaborated by inter-molecular hydrogen bondings formed
newly through a thermal break of intra-molecular hydrogen bondings between
side chains along a main chain. On the other hand, the increases in R-h an
d D have revealed that poly(4BCMU) chains aggregated gradually in the red p
hase, after taking a single extended rod-like conformation. The subsequent
aggregation seemed to be promoted not only by lowering a solvent quality bu
t also by increasing the effective concentration, accompanied by the confor
mational transition. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.