This work details the synthesis, characterisation and fabrication of a range of copolyesters, containing various angular disrupters, especially disubstituted 2,5-diphenyl- -1,3,4-oxadiazoles. These disrupters were incorporated into the polymers, to reduce the temperature at which the polymers may be processed, to enable their fabrication into fibres. The majority of the polymers prepared were found to be liquid crystalline. However, if the angular disrupter content of the polymer was high, it was found that the resultant polymers were non-liquid crystalline. The polymers were prepared by a melt acidolysis process carried out under a nitrogen flow and subsequently under vacuum, as described in Chapter 3. Eighteen of the polymers were characterised in some detail, though a measure of the relative molecular weights was thought to be of little importance in this work, since all polymers were of a different composition. Differential scanning calorimetry and hot-stage microscopy revealed that several of the polymers had rather unusual melting behaviour. The eighteen polymers that were closely characterised were spun into fibres, using a small melt-spinning apparatus that was designed and produced by Bradford University Research Ltd, The resultant fibres were characterised by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction end tensile testing. The general conclusion of the work is that although a reduction in the processing temperature of the polymer is achieved by the incorporation of angular disruptors, which is advantageous, the tensile strength and thermal stability of the fibres produced from such polymers are reduced.
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