| abstract |
Disclosed are monomers which contain groups that are at least trinuclear, which are capable of absorbing the electromagnetic radiation of visible light, and which are structured such that in their thermodynamically stable state they are distended and strongly anisometric. Homopolymers prepared from such monomers, a process of preparing such homopolymers, and articles comprising such homopolymers are also disclosed. The trinuclear groups of the monomers include at least one electron-attracting substituent which gives rise to a dipole moment which forms an angle of at least 20° with the longitudinal axis of the trinuclear groups. The monomers of the present invention contain covalently bonded branching side groups, and may be represented by the following formula,n nH 2 C═C(R)—C(O)-§-T—Q—En nIn the formula: R is hydrogen or methyl; § represents one of oxygen, sulfur and NR 1 ; T represents a (CH 2 ) n radical, optionally interrupted by, for example, —O—; Q represents a divalent linking group; and E represents the trinuclear group, e.g., a trinuclear group represented by the following formula (VII), |