This book originated in the Proceedings of the Second Symposium on Polymeric Liquid Crystals held by the Division of Polymer Chemistry in the framework of the 1983 Fall Meeting of the American Chemical Society. At the First Symposium in 1977, the literature in this field could be encompassed in a single volume. To day, that is no longer possible. The field of Polymeric Liquid Crystals grew, and continues to grow, at a very rapid pace. At present, we know of every major mesophase in its polymeric form and of polymeric glasses, elastomers and fluids in their liquid crystalline form. Every year, new polymeric mesophases are being discovered. The aim of this book is to go beyond a compilation of papers presented at the 1983 ACS Fall Meeting. It is conceived as a learning tool for the benefit of the sci entist interested in Polymeric Liquid Crystals. The book is divided into three sections. The first section contains articles discussing synthetic, physico chemical, structural and rheological aspects of Polymeric Liquid Crystals in their generality. A chapter on methods currently used in this field is also included. There are also chapters on theoretical and classification aspects of PLCs. These self-contained tutorial chapters provide an introduction to this field as well as to the specific papers given in the book. They provide an exhaustive cover age of literature on the subject from its inception to the present.
