Quinizarin-containing polymers and their optical characteristics

Abstract

Various norbornene derivatives having t-BOC-protected quinizarin were prepared and polymerized by vinyl and ring-opening polymerization. A homopolymer having pendent t-BOC-protected quinizarin moiety has been the subject of patterned fluorescence imaging studies. The t-BOC-protecting groups of the polymer were efficiently removed by chemical amplification process and the original properties of quinizarin, were regenerated. In other copolymer systems containing styrene with the acid-labile t-BOC-protected quinizarin and the photolytically acid-generating N-(tosyloxy)succinimide were prepared and applied as a single component fluorescent photoimaging system. In this system the fluorescent image patterns do not require further addition of photoacid generator. For the LC photo-alignments, norbornene polymers having cinnamate group were prepared by palladium-catalyzed addition polymerization. The cinnamate pendent groups were efficiently reacted by polarized UV exposure, forming cyclobutane ring with concurrent alignment of polymer chains. The results indicated that the polymer shows 90˚ orientation angle to polarization direction of UV. The sequence-controlled copolymer of ethylene and vinyl cinnamate has shown remarkable characteristics when used as commanding films in photolytic LC alignment. Irradiation of the LC cell with polarized UV light produced parallel alignment and showed excellent alignment stability even at higher temperatures.