In this paper we report one of the first examples of a soluble,
fusible liquid crystalline polypyrrole. We describe the synthesis and characterisation
of two pyrrole-based monomers substituted at the N-position with
the mesogenic group 4-cyanobiphenyl. The mesogenic group is separated from
the pyrrole moiety by an alkyl chain of either 3 or 11 methylene units length.
We discuss the spectroscopic and thermotropic properties of these monomers
and describe their oxidative polymerisation using electrochemical methods
and separately using FeCl3 and I2 as chemical oxidants.