An enhanced host–guest electro‐optical polymer system using poly(norbornene‐dicarboximides) via ROMP

High glass transition temperature poly(N‐cyclohexyl‐5‐norbornene‐2,3‐dicarboximide)s (NDI)s prepared by ring opening metathesis polymerization yielded polymers with a narrow polydispersity and well‐controlled molecular weight materials when using the Grubbs first generation initiator. Polymers produced using the Grubbs second generation initiator could not be controlled easily. By initiator selection it was also possible to synthesize polymers with either 98 or 52% trans microstructures. These materials were employed as electro‐optic (EO) polymer hosts for high molecular hyperpolarizability (β) phenyl vinylene thiophene vinylene bridge chromophores. This chromophore was modified by the incorporation of a tert‐butyldiphenylsilane group. The addition was able to further increase its EO coefficient (r₃₃) to reach 93 pm/V in a trans rich poly(NDI) produced by the Grubbs first generation initiator, compared to a benchmark chromophore / polymer combination. We investigated in detail the relationship between polymer microstructure and their absolute molecular weight on forming the best host–guest with the high β chromophore. Our results indicate that by utilizing a very simple host–guest system a high r₃₃ can be realized. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Polymerization of Styrene Initiated by Photoexcited Charge-Transfer Complex

Photopolymerization of styrene in the presence of pyromellitic dianhydride, an electron acceptor which forms a charge-transfer complex with the monomer, was studied. Polymerization was initiated by illumination with a light of wavelength longer than 350 nm, where only the charge-transfer absorption band exists. It was found that the reaction involves cationic and radical polymerizations and that the reaction course strongly depends on polarity of the system. It was also suggested by the dependence of the rate of polymerization on light intensity and temperature that the cationic polymerization consists of free ion and ion-pair polymerizations. These results were compared with those of the photoinduced cationic polymerization of α-methylstyrene, which has previously been studied.     

The use of public randomization in discounted repeated games

This paper presents an example where the set of subgame-perfect equilibrium payoffs of the infinitely repeated game without public randomization is not convex, no matter how large the discount factor is. Also, the set of pure-strategy equilibrium payoffs is not monotonic with respect to the discount factor in this example. These results are in sharp contrast to the fact that the equilibrium payoff set is convex and monotonic if public randomization is available.