Syntheses of thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers, 1. Azoxy and azo type polyesters

Azoxy and azo type polyesters were obtained by combination of an azoxybenzene or an azobenzene group as a mesogenic core with different flexible chain lengths of ethylene glycol groups. The thermal properties of these mesomorphic polymers are discussed related to their chemical structures. The mesomorphic temperature region becomes narrower with increasing flexible chain length. Further, the transition temperature from the mesomorphic phase to the isotropic liquid is higher for the azoxy type polyester than for the azo type polyester.