Emission of polarized light from liquid crystalline segmented poly(arylenevinylene)s

Polyesters with substituted bis(styryl)benzene segments, biphenylene segmen ts, and linear aliphatic spacers in the main chain were obtained by polycon densation. These polyesters show intensive photoluminescence and exhibit th ermotropic behavior. UV dichroism, polarized photoluminescene, and polarize d electroluminescence were observed when films of the polyesters were cast from solution on rubbed polyimide and subsequently annealed. LC phases get disorders with increasing amount of biphenylene moieties in the main chain. The macroscopic order parameters derived thereof are a nonlinear function of the order of the LC-phase.