This proposal is concerned with molecular orientation in the deformation and flow of liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs). Rheological equations of state will be developed to describe LCP flow, and several solutions for simple geometries will be obtained. Molecular structure during flow will be probed experimentally by using dyes and particles for flow visualization in model flows in capillaries and between parallel plates. Molecular structure during flow near boundaries will be probed by an evanescent wave technique. The evanescent wave technique is novel, and is particularly suitable to probing flow induced orientation effects near boundaries.
