Orientation development in thermotropic liquid crystal polymers

Thermotropic liquid crystal polymers are a new class of polymeric materials that consist of rigid backbone molecules and thus, even in the quiescent condition, take extended chain conformation to form optically anisotropic melts. A systematic investigation was carried out on how this type of material responds to two basic flow fields: shear and elongation. Rheological properties of the polymer in these flow fields have also been measured. It was found that a high level of molecular orientation was readily obtained by elongational flow but not with shear flow. Specifically, extraordinarily high orientation was obtained when the melt was subjected to small elongational strains, whiel shear strain or shear rate had little effect. A possible mechanism to explain these behaviors is illustrated based on the existing observations or theories of rodlike molecules. This finding was used to interpret the orientation distribution in the extruded and injection‐molded articles.