Conformation in solution of side-chain liquid crystal polymers as a function of the mesogen-graft amount

The conformation of side-chain liquid crystal polymers with different mesogen-graft amounts has been studied by small-angle neutron scattering in dilute solutions of toluene-d8 and THF-d8. It is shown that the radius of gyration increases by about twofold when the mesogen-graft amount increases from 0 to 100%, which suggests that the persistence length of the backbone increases by about 4-fold. Comparison with the results reported in the literature on the melt state suggests that the persistence length is not an intrinsic property of side chain liquid crystal polymers, but depends on inter-chain interactions.