Optical properties and orientational ordering of the chain molecules of poly(1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) in the surface layers of thin films

The oblique-polarized-ray method has been used to study birefringence in thin films of poly (1-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne) (PTMSP), which consists of links in the trans- and cis-configurations of C=C double bonds in the ratio 40/60. Values have been determined for the surface birefringence coefficients for films of various thicknesses, the orientational order parameter of fragments of the PTMSP chain molecules close to the surface, S-0 = -0.29, and the effective thickness of the anisotropic surface layer, H-0 = 3.9 x 10(-3) cm. It is shown that the PTMSP molecules are characterized by predominantly parallel orientation of the segments of the chain molecules relative to the surface. (C) 2003 Optical Society of America.