Are nematic side-on polymers totally extended? A SANS study

Abstract

The strong prolate anisotropy of the backbone conformation observed in the nematic phase of ‘side-on fixed’ LCP is found to be as great as for main chain LCP. From this remark originated this SANS study of a ‘jacketed’ polymer PA4,4,4. A form factor of cylinders is used to model the experimental scattering data as in the case of main chain LCPs. The data are well fitted by this model and the backbone appears as a long and very thin rigid rod.