Liquid-crystal polymers

Liquid-crystal polymers form long-chain macro-molecules of a rod-shaped character. In the melt flow, these molecules assume a parallel aligned arrangement. This gives the melt a kind of crystalline character. When the melt solidifies, the molecules retain their orientation, resulting in an anisotropic material characterised by high mechanical solidity and rigidity in the longitudinal direction of the oriented macro-molecules. These properties can be used in particular in polymer fibre materials such as aramid fibres or Vectran, where the only important feature is the mechanical properties in the longitudinal direction of the fibres.