Liquid crystalline telomers have been synthesized by free radical polymerization. Their thermal as well as photoresponsive properties are reported. The effects of telogen content on the degree of polymerization were also studied. The degree of polymerization decreased with an increase in the telogen content during telomerization. Consequently, the molecular weights of the telomers decreased with the increase in the telogen content. The isotropization temperatures of the telomers from liquid crystalline to isotropic phase were determined as a measure of stability of the telomers. The stability of the telomers was found to be influenced strongly by their molecular weight and structure of the telogen. The telomers also showed fast photoresponsive properties due to the disorganization of the uniaxial molecular orientation caused by the trans-cis photoisomerization of the azobenzene groups. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.