Transformation of a kinetically prohibited mesophase of a linear polymer into an enantiotropic mesophase via cyclization

The synthesis of a novel family of liquid crystals, cyclic compounds without chain ends, raises a series of fundamental questions, since many technological applications of conventional rod‐like low molecular weight liquid crystals rely on teh chain ends for alignment. The figure shown the conformation of the cyclic tetramer in the nematic phase. magnified image