Developments in Oriented Polymers--2

The last four years since the publication of the first of this series have seen further striking developments in both the science and technology of oriented polymers. In particular, polymers possessing very high degrees of molecular orientation are now quite commonplace, and this is reflected by the inclusion of five chapters dealing with ultra-high modulus polyethylene fibres, oriented liquid crystalline polymers (both lyotropics and thermo tropics) and polydiacetylene single crystal fibres. At the same time there is continuing interest in the structure and properties of less highly oriented polymers and in the mechanisms of deformation in polymers. It is therefore good to have these themes represented also. I should like to thank the contributors for adhering to a rather tight time schedule, and the publishers for their cooperation, so that this book can provide up-to-date reviews of the state of the art in a rapidly moving area of polymer science. I. M. WARD v CONTENTS Preface.... . . . .. . . . . .. ... . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . ... ... v List of Contributors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IX 1. Polymer Single Crystal Fibres ........................ . Front Matter....Pages i-x Polymer Single Crystal Fibres....Pages 1-38 High-Strength/High-Modulus Structures Based on Flexible Macromolecules: Gel-Spinning and Related Processes....Pages 39-77 Spinning from Lyotropic and Thermotropic Liquid Crystalline Systems....Pages 79-113 Structural Studies of Fibres Obtained from Lyotropic Liquid Crystals and Mesophase Pitch....Pages 115-151 Structure and Properties of Thermotropic Liquid Crystalline Copolyesters....Pages 153-197 Segmental Orientation and Chain Relaxation of Polymers by Spectroscopic Techniques: A Molecular Approach to Polymer Viscoelasticity....Pages 199-235 Oriented Polyamides....Pages 237-268 Back Matter....Pages 269-279