Mesogen jacketed liquid crystalline poly(1 alkyne) and poly(1 phenyl 1 alkyne) linked pendants of terphenyl mesogens with hexyloxy tails at the waist position (-(RC=C [(CH2)(3)OOC terpheyl (OC6H13)(2)](n), where R=H PHATP(OC6)2 R=C6H5 PPATP(OC6)2) were synthesized The influences of structural variations on the thermal mesomorphic and luminescent properties were investigated Polymerizations of all monomers are carried out by WCI6 Ph4Sn catalysts success fully The polymers are stable (Td >= 340 degrees C) and soluble in common solvents The monomers and polymers show enantio tropic SmA phases in the heating and cooling processes and the lateral side chains of the mesogenic units are perpendicular to the main chain The jacket effect of chromophoric terphenyl core shell around the main chain also contributes to polymers with high photoluminescence and the pendant to backbone energy transfer path is involved in the luminescence process of this polymers In comparison with monosubstituted polyacetylene PHATP(OC6)2 the disubstituted polyacetylene PPATP(OC6)2 shows better photoluminescence in both THF solution and film and exhibited about 40 nm red shifted than PHATP(OC6)2 indicating that the jacket effect of terphenyl mesogens forces poly(1 phenyl 1 alkyne) backbone to extend in a more planar conformation with a better conjugation (c) 2010 Wiley Periodicals Inc J Polym Sci Part A Polym Chem 48 5679-5692 2010