Polyazomethine fibers and films

As-spun fibers having an X-ray orientation angle of less than 45.degree. of (co)polyazomethines consisting essentially of the following recurring structural units ##STR97## wherein units I and II are present in substantially equimolar amounts;

• Z.sub.1 and Z.sub.2 which may be the same or different, are selected from the group of a hydrogen atom or a methyl or ethyl radical;
• and R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are radicals selected from the group of (1) single and fused 6-membered carbocyclic ring systems in which one of the ring carbons of an aromatic ring, if present, may be replaced by nitrogen and wherein the chain extending bonds of the ring system, if attached to a single ring, are positioned 1,4- to each other, and, if attached to different rings, are in positions parallel and oppositely directed, and (2) multiple ring systems in which the individual rings are joined by a chemical bond or a bridging unit not exceeding fourteen atoms in length and in which the chain extending bonds of each ring are in the 1,4-positions and R.sub.1 may be a chemical bond.

Fibers of films of copolyazomethines consisting essentially of the following recurring structural units ##STR98## wherein units I and II are present in substantially equimolar amounts;

• Z.sub.1, Z.sub.2 and Z.sub.3 which may be the same or different, are selected from the group of a hydrogen atom or a methyl or ethyl radical;
• and R.sub.1, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 are radicals selected from the group of (1) single and fused 6-membered carbocyclic ring systems in which one of the ring carbons of an aromatic ring, if present, may be replaced by nitrogen and wherein the chain extending bonds of the ring system, if attached to a single ring, are positioned, 1,4- to each other, and if attached to different rings, are in positions parallel and oppositely directed, and (2) multiple ring systems in which the individual rings are joined by a chemical bond or a bridging unit not exceeding fourteen atoms in length and in which the chain extending bonds of each ring are in the 1,4-positions and R.sub.1 may be a chemical bond.

A (co)polyazomethine that is melt spinnable into fibers and has a polymer melt temperature below 375.degree. C, an inherent viscosity of at least 0.2 and which displays optical anisotropy in the molten state and which consists essentially of the following recurring structural units ##STR99## wherein Z.sub.1 and Z.sub.2 which may be the same or different, are selected from the group of a hydrogen atom or a methyl or ethyl radical;

• and R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are radicals selected from the group (1) single and fused 6-membered carbocyclic ring systems in which one of the ring carbons of an aromatic ring, if present, may be replaced by nitrogen and wherein the chain extending bonds of the ring system if attached to a single ring, are positioned 1,4- to each other, and if attached to different rings, are in positions parallel and oppositely directed, and (2) multiple ring systems in which the individual rings are joined by a chemical bond or a bridging unit not exceeding fourteen atoms in length and in which the chain extending bonds of each ring are in the 1,4-positions and R.sub.1 may be a chemical bond.