ORIENTATIONAL PHENOMENA IN POLYMERS

This is a short review of 26 invited lectures presented at the 25th Europhysics Conference on Macromolecular Physics Orientational Phenomena in Polymers (St. Petersburg, Russia, July 6-10, 1992). The lectures encompassed a wide range of experimental and theoretical studies on the mechanisms of molecular orientation in flow and magnetic fields, in solid phase deformation, in epitaxial growth on oriented substrates, as well as mechanical behavior and resulting properties. The fine structure, the nature and role of defects along with the fracture of oriented polymers were considered. New ways for producing high performance polymer materials were discussed. A great deal of attention was given to the study of a very fast-moving area of electrical conductivity and the formation of polymer systems with nonlinear optical properties.