Analysis of mesophase formation in side-chain liquid crystalline polycarbosilanes

This paper is concerned with an analysis of the thermodynamics and kinetics of mesophase formation by cooling from the isotropic state of side-chain liquid crystalline polycarbosilanes containing spacers in the range from 3 to 11 CH₂-groups. The polymers are characterized by their thermotropic behaviour as far as temperature, enthalpy and entropy of the transitions are concerned. The kinetics was followed by optical and calorimetric methods. Longer spacer length leads to more perfect ordering in the mesophase, higher isotropization temperatures, and lower glass transition temperatures. The Avrami and Ozawa formalism to describe the transition kinetics to the mesophase from the isotropic state cannot be interpreted as the nucleation and growth mechanism known from crystallization.Dedicated to Professor Bernhard Wunderlich on the occasion of his 65th birthday