Macro-oriented network of liquid-crystalline polyesters: crosslinking induced by g-irradiation and thermally activated reaction.

Abstract The synthesis of a macro-oriented network from liquid-crystalline polymers, bearing pendant groups with unsaturations, is reported. Virgin polymers are processable to obtain oriented samples, e.g. fibres, which may be crosslinked through thermal activation and/or exposure to γ-radiation. The liquid-crystalline state is “frozen” and the macroscopic anisotropy is preserved even at high temperatures. Compared to virgin fibres, irradiated samples show an enhancement of tensile performances, thus indicating that the main effect of irradiation is crosslinking without significant degradation phenomena.