On the stretching of alkyl chains by nematics

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Abstract
When a semiflexible chain molecule is subjected to an anistropic solvent, e.g., leads to a partial elongation and alignment of the molecule. The ordering of the CC bonds as a funciton of position along the chain was treated in an earlier communication by solving a lattice version of the rotational isomer state model in the presence of an external field. In the present paper, we extend this approach to the explicit calculation of solvent‐induced size and anisotropy effects. Specifically, we determine the increase in 〈Z2N〉1/2 as a function of chain conformation (i.e., gauche vs trans) energy ε and of monomer–solvent coupling strength f. Here 〈Z2N〉1/2 is the root‐mean‐square value of the Z component of the end‐to‐end vector for an N‐bond molecule (the space‐fixed Z axis being taken to lie along the nematic direction). The elongation of the molecule is described in terms of the deformation of a sphere with radius R0=(3〈Z2N〉f=0)1/2 into an ellipsoid of revolution with eccentricity determined by 〈Z2N〉f≳0.

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