Abstract
Six new polysiloxanes with novel, laterally attached mesogenic side chains are reported. The effects of spacer length and change from alkyl to alkoxy end groups are assessed for the polymers which retain nematic behaviour even with spacer lengths of 11 atoms and terminal groups with a combined length of 19 atoms. Unusually however, nematic thermal stabilities of the polymers are lower than those of the vinylic side chain precursors.