Rheo-optics of a conjugated polymer system in shear

Abstract

The polymeric chromophore, poly(4-butoxycarbonylmethylurethane), p-4BCMU, has a diacetylene backbone that displays a broad range of optical properties directly attributed to its conformation. The UV-Vis spectral properties of the polymer solution are dependent upon the backbone conjugation length, which describes the length over which the π-electrons are delocalised. The persistence length of the polymer chain describes the curvature of the polymer chain and is dependent upon the solvent quality and thermal properties of the system. Changes in persistence length, which are accompanied by a change in polymer conformation, lead to changes in the conjugation length and, therefore, the measured ..