Molecular alignment enhancement phenomenon of polymer formed from a liquid crystal monomer in a liquid crystal solvent

We report an abnormal alignment enhancement phenomenon of polymer molecules. The alignment order of a rigid-skeleton polymer made from a liquid crystalline monomer in a low-molecular-weight liquid crystal solvent was drastically enhanced with increasing temperature, even though the alignment order of the solution of the liquid crystal and monomer decreased. From polymer molecular alignment observations using polarizing Raman scattering microscopy, it was found that the polymer alignment order was three times greater than that of the original aligned monomer and polymer. This super alignment technique of polymer using a molecular-scaled self-assembly mechanism is applicable to the formation of electrically and/or optically functional nanopolymer wires. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.