Synthesis and optical properties of polyimides

Polyimides are important industrial materials because of their excellent properties. They are extensively used in the electronics industry and have great potential in the field of optical communications. In this article, we discuss the effect of the polyimide structure and the processing conditions on the optical properties. Both commercially available fluorinated polyimides and polyimides synthesized in our laboratory were used in this study. The relationship between the extent of fluorination and the refractive index was studied, and it was found that fluorination reduced the refractive index as expected. Studies conducted on the structure–property relationship revealed that with the use of more rigid monomers for the polyimides, the polyimides could be modified to show a large birefringence. The extent of birefringence depended on the composition of the polymer. In addition, the processing conditions directly controlled the residual stress in the polymer films. The residual stress was an important factor in inducing light scattering, which resulted in higher optical loss. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4832–4838, 2000     

Potential switching of optical properties in polymer electrolytes

The electric field dependence of the optical properties of a series of anion-conducting polymer electrolytes at an ITO–electrolyte interface was investigated. A change in reflectance and refractive index of polymer electrolytes [poly(ethyl methacrylate)]₁₈(Bu₃SnX)₃Bu₄NX where X = Cl, Br, and SCN was observed. This was ascribed to anion accumulation/depletion in the interfacial region. Shorter response times were observed for electrolytes with higher conductivities, illustrating the interrelationship between these two phenomena. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35: 2057–2062, 1997     

Synthesis of crosslinkable fluorinated polyesters for optical waveguide devices

A series of novel crosslinkable, highly fluorinated polyesters were synthesized by copolycondensation reactions of terephthaloyl chloride with 4, 4′‐(hexafluoroisopropy‐lidene)‐diphenol and 2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7‐dodecafluoro‐octane‐1,8‐diol, followed by reaction with 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate. The resulting polyesters with the molecular weights (M_n: 12,100–20,000 g mol^?1) and polydispersities (1.49–2.25) were useful for the fabrication of polymer optical devices because of their good solubility in common organic solvent and the processable flexibility. The ratios of the components of the polyesters were characterized by FTIR and NMR. The polyesters had high glass transition temperature (T_g,: up to 170 °C) and good thermal stabilities (T_d: up to 470 °C). The refractive index of the polyester film was tuned and controlled in the range of 1.447–1.576 at 1550 nm by monitoring the component fractions during the preparation procedures. Low‐loss optical waveguides were fabricated from the resulting polyesters and the propagation loss of the channel waveguides was measured to be around 0.56 dB/cm at 1550 nm. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 5923–5931, 2007     

Synthesis and optical properties of fluorinated poly(arylene ether phosphine oxide)s

Fluorinated dihydroxy phosphine oxide monomers were synthesized via chlorination, Grignard, and demethylation techniques. The prepared monomer was successfully polymerized with each of the three perfluorinated monomers (decafluorobiphenyl, decafluorobenzophenone, and pentafluorophenylsulfide) by nucleophilic aromatic substitution. The average molecular weight ranged between 7800 and 14,900 g/mol. The glass‐transition temperatures of the polymers were registered in the range of 185–235 °C, and all the polymers exhibited high thermal stability up to 326–408 °C. The results of the refractive‐index measurements indicated control of the refractive index between 1.5181 and 1.5536 and an optical loss of 0.53 dB/cm at 1550 nm. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 1497–1503, 2003     

Synthesis and optical properties of all-trans-oligodiacetylenes

A new series of pure and highly soluble oligodiacetylenes (ODAs) was synthesized in high yield and on a multi-milligram scale by a sequence of Sonogashira reactions with a strongly reduced level of homocoupling. The lambda(max) and epsilon(max) of these ODAs show an increase with both chain elongation and solvent polarity. A plot of lambda(max) absorption versus 1/CL (CL=conjugation length) was shown to be linear. The lambda(max) converges to 435 nm for the longest members of the series at micromolar concentration. This reveals that the longest wavelength absorption observed for PDA chains (lambda(max) up to 700 nm) is due to aggregation effects. The fluorescence quantum yield increased from monomer to trimer and decreased for longer ODAs. A similar trend is found for the lifetime of fluorescence with a maximum of 600 ps for the trimer. The observed linearity of the rotational correlation time with the oligomer length implies that the ODA chains in solution lack significant geometrical changes. This implies that the ODAs in solution are fully stretched molecular rods of up to 4 nm in length.     

Synthesis and properties of photosensitive polyimide-nanocrystalline titania optical thin films

In this study, synthesis, morphology, and properties of high refractive index photosensitive polyimide-nanocrystalline titania hybrid materials are reported. A soluble polyimide grafted with carboxylic acid or methacrylate groups (P1) was first synthesized from 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene) diphthalic anhydride (6FDA), 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid (DABA), 4-aminobenzoic acid (4ABA), and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (2HEMA). The residual carboxylic acid groups could undergo an esterification reaction with titanium butoxide to provide an organic-inorganic bonding. On the other hand, the grafted methacrylate groups rendered photosensitive property for photopatterning. A homogeneous hybrid solution was obtained through the formulation on different mole ratios of titanium butoxide/carboxylic acid, water/acid content in a mixed solvent. It was followed by spin-coating, photocuring and post-baking. The titania domain size in the hybrid materials analyzed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) was around 4-7 nm. The prepared optically transparent films had tunable refractive index (1.583 < n < 2.029), relatively good surface planarity and high thermal stability. A fine pattern with a line width of 50 μm was produced by direct lithographic process on the hybrid films. The present study demonstrates a novel approach for preparing high refractive index hybrid photosensitive materials with patternability.     

Synthesis and nonlinear optical properties of new symmetrically substituted stilbenes

Three new chromophores and trans-4-(N-(ethyl 4″-nitrobenzoate)-N-ethyl amino)-4′-(dimethyl amino) stilbene (DMANHAS) have been synthesized and whose chemical structures have been characterized by ¹H NMR, IR, and elemental analyses. Linear absorption, single-photon-induced fluorescence and two-photon-induced fluorescence are experimentally studied. Trans-4-(N-2-hydroxyethyl-N-ethyl amino)-4′-(dimethyl amino)stilbene (DMAHAS) and trans-4-(N-2-hydroxyethyl-N-ethyl amino)-4′-(diethyl amino)stilbene (DEAHAS) have effective two-photon absorption cross-sections of σ₂=0.91×10⁻⁴⁶ cm⁴ s/photon and σ₂=1.19×10⁻⁴⁶ cm⁴ s/photon at 532 nm by using an open aperture Z-scan technique, respectively. When pumped with 800 nm laser irradiation, DMAHAS and DEAHAS indicate strong two-photon-induced blue fluorescence of 436 and 440 nm, respectively, while trans-4-(N-(ethyl 4″-nitrobenzoate)-N-ethyl amino)-4′-(diethyl amino) stilbene (DEANHAS) and DMANHAS exhibit no fluorescence.     

Refractive index and nonlinear optical properties of polyaniline derivatives

An investigation of the refractive index and third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility χ⁽³⁾ of two polypernigraniline derivatives, poly (4,4'-diphenylimine methine) (PDPIM) and poly (4,4'-diphenylimine p-heptyloxybenzylidene) (PDPIHB) reveals effects of molecular structure on the linear optical and nonlinear optical properties of conjugated polymers. The χ⁽³⁾ (?3ωω,ω,ω) of PDPIM was found to decrease relative to polypernigraniline, reflecting the observed decrease of the oscillator strength of the 2.2 eV absorption band when a methine carbon replaces one of the nitrogen atoms of pernigraniline repeat unti. The alkoxyphenylene side group substitution at the methine carbon in PDPIHB, however, significantly enhances the nonlinear optical response of PDPIHB while reducing the refractive index compared to PDPIM and polypernigraniline. The present results suggest that structural changes in conjugated polymers can be made in such a way as to enhance the nonlinear optical properties while modulating the linear optical properties. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis of polydithiourethanes and their thermal,optical, and mechanical properties originated from monomers structure

Polyaddition of various diisothiocyanates and dithiols was achieved with triethylamine in dimethylformamide at 25 °C for 12 h under nitrogen, and then the corresponding polydithiourethanes (PDTUs) were obtained with high yield and molecular weight without depending on the monomer structures, although the dithiol monomer of the low nucleophilicity was unsuitable for polyaddition in this system. The chemical and physical properties of the obtained PDTUs such as solvent solubility, glass transition temperature, thermal stability, transparency, refractive index, and tensile strength, were analyzed in detail by gel permeation chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared–attenuated total reflection, ultraviolet–visible, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and tensile testing measurements. These results proved that PDTUs and their cast films having the aliphatic diisothiocyanate and dithiol moieties exhibited excellent chemical and physical properties compared to that of the aromatic PDTUs. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 2255–2262     

Synthesis and properties of copolymers of methyl methacrylate with 2,3,4,5,6‐pentafluoro and 4‐trifluoromethyl 2,3,5,6‐tetrafluoro styrenes: An intrachain interaction between methyl ester and fluoro aromatic moieties

2,3,4,5,6‐Pentafluoro and 4‐trifluoromethyl 2,3,5,6‐tetrafluoro styrenes were readily copolymerized with methyl methacrylate (MMA) by a free radical initiator. The copolymers were soluble in tetrahydrofuran and acetone. The films obtained were transparent and flexible. The glass transition temperatures (T_gs) of the copolymers were found positively deviated from the Gordon–Taylor equation. The positive deviation could be accounted for by dipole–dipole intrachain interaction between the methyl ester group of MMA and the highly fluorinated aromatic moiety, which resulted in a decrease in the segmental mobility of the polymer chains and the enhanced T_g values of the copolymers. The water absorption of PMMA was greatly decreased by copolymerization of MMA with the highly fluorinated styrenes. With as little as 10 mol % of pentafluoro styrene content in the copolymer, the water absorption was decreased to one‐third of that for pure PMMA. The fluorinated styrenes‐MMA copolymers were thermally stable up to 420 °C under air and nitrogen atmospheres. With 50 mol % of MMA in the copolymer, the copolymer was still stable up to 350 °C. Since these copolymers contain a large number of fluorine atoms, the light absorption in the region of the visible to near infrared is decreased in comparison with nonfluorinated polymers. Thus, these copolymers may be suitable for application in optical devices, such as optical fibers and waveguides. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

芳香羧酸钕配合物的合成及其光谱性质研究

本文以1,10-phenanthroline为第二配体,Nd2O3与芳香羧直接反应合成了四种芳香羧酸钕配合物:NdF3phen(F:呋喃-2-甲酸、phen:1,10-phenanthroline)、NdT3phen(T:噻吩-2-甲酸)、NdB3phen(B:苯甲酸)、NdN3phen(N:1-萘甲酸).产物用FTI...     

Synthesis and nonlinear optical properties of a novel indium phthalocyanine highly branched polymer

Due to the well‐known optical limiting properties of indium (III) phthalocyanines (In [III] Pcs) and aiming at extending their conjugation system, a highly branched indium phthalocyanine polymer was prepared. Flash chromatography was used for obtaining a pure polymer of polydispersity index near to the unity. The structure of the prepared polymer was determined using different spectroscopic techniques. Optical limiting and open aperture Z‐scan measurements were carried out according standard procedures. Compared with many other phthalocyanines, the prepared indium‐phthalocyanine polymer shows a high optical limiting performance that is indicated by a relatively low limiting threshold of 430 mJ cm^?2 and a large nonlinear absorption coefficient (α₂ = 3.4 × 10^?8 cmW^?1). Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis, nonlinear optical properties and the possible mechanism of photopolymerization of two new two-photon absorption chromophores

Efficient Witting and Pd-catalyzed Heck coupling methodologies are employed to synthesize two new two-photon free-radical photopolymerization initiators 9-ethyl-3-{2-[4-(2-pyridin-4-yl-vinyl)-phenyl]-vinyl}-9H-carbazole (abbreviated to EPVPC) and 9-octadecyl-3-{2-[4-(2-pyridin-4-yl-vinyl)-phenyl]-vinyl}-9H-carbazole (abbreviated to OPVPC). The experimental results confirm that the two compounds are good two-photon absorbing chromophores and operative two-photon photopolymerization initiators. The calculated two-photon absorption cross-sections of EPVPC and OPVPC are 56.6 and 62.0×10⁻⁵⁰ cm⁴ s photon⁻¹, respectively. A microstructure by using EPVPC as initiator has been fabricated under irradiation of 200 fs, 76 MHz Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser at 780 nm. The possible mechanism of photopolymerization is discussed.     

Synthesis of high‐refractive index polyimide containing selenophene unit

A highly refractive and transparent aromatic polyimide (PI) containing a selenophene unit has been developed. The PI was prepared by a two‐step polycondensation procedure from 2,5‐bis(4‐aminophenylenesulfanyl)selenophene (APSP) and 4,4′‐[p‐thiobis(phenylenesulfanyl)]diphthalic anhydride (3SDEA), and shows high thermal stabilities, such as a relatively high‐glass transition temperature of 189 °C and 5% weight loss temperature (T_5%) of 418 °C. The optical transmittance of the PI film at 450 nm is higher than 50%. The selenophene unit provides the PI with a refractive index of 1.7594, which is higher than corresponding PIs containing a thiophene or a phenyl unit because of the high polarizability per unit volume of the selenium atom. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 4428–4434, 2009     

Synthesis and characterization of two series of pressure-sensitive cholesteric liquid crystal elastomers with optical properties

ABSTRACT

We synthesized two series of cholesteric liquid-crystal elastomers by hydrosilylation among monomers MA containing a cholesteryl group, MB (MC) containing a phenolic hydroxyl group and MD as the crosslinker. The chemical structures of all the monomers and LCEs were confirmed by ¹H NMR and FT-IR. We explored the mesomorphic properties and phase behaviours by TGA, DSC, POM, and XRD. All the LCEs presented elasticity, reversible phase transition, and high thermal stability. For two series of LCEs, the glass transition temperature increased slowly, and the isotropic transition temperature increased obviously. PA-I-PA-V and PB-I-PB-IV displayed selective reflection and colourful Grandjean texture, but PA-VI, PB-V, and PB-VI needed external pressure to show them.     

Synthesis and non-linear optical and redox properties of 6-nitro-6′-piperidyl-2,2′-bisbenzothiazole: a new type of push-pull molecules

The present paper describes the synthesis, the non-linear optical and redox properties of 6-nitro-6′-piperidyl-2,2′-bisbenzothiazole, the first described member of a new family of push-pull structures based in the 2,2′-bisbenzothiazole.     

Synthesis,crystal structure and non-linear optical properties of a new cyanide-containing compound

Reaction of K₃[Fe(CN)₆], NiCl₂ and diethylenetriamine (dien) resulted in the formation of a cyanide-containing heterometallic compound [Ni(dien)₂]₂[Fe(CN)₆]·4H₂O 1. The structure consists of two octahedral [Ni(dien)₂]²⁺ cations, one octahedral [Fe(CN)₆]^4? anion and four crystallization water molecules, which are held together by hydrogen-bonding interactions. Its TG curve exhibits two stages of mass loss. Compound 1 in DMF solutions has a very strong third-order non-linear optical (NLO) behavior with an absorption coefficient and refractive index α₂?=?1.10?×?10^?11?m?w^?1, n ₂?=??3.05?×?10^?19?m²?w^?1, respectively, and third-order NLO susceptibility χ⁽³⁾ 4.34?×?10^?13?esu.     

Synthesis,characterization and optical properties of graphene oxide–polystyrene nanocomposites

The synthesis of graphene oxide (GO)–polystyrene (PS) Pickering emulsions, as environment‐friendly nanostructures suitable for novel applications, has received significant attention in recent years. In this work, the synthesis and characterization of GO–PS nanocomposites through seeded emulsion polymerization and the selective light reflection properties of dry films have been reported. Amphiphilic molecule sulfonated 3‐pentadecyl phenol was used as a co‐surfactant to stabilize GO dispersions during the emulsion polymerization process. The particle size of the dispersions as measured by dynamic light scattering decreases from 540 nm, for PS without any GO, to 88 nm with 1 wt% GO content. Scanning electron microscopy studies show a uniform size distribution of the composite particles prepared with GO. The dried films show a structural color that varies with the GO content. The self‐assembly behavior of the dried film was further studied using reflectance spectroscopy, which shows a red shift of the reflectance maximum from 440 to 538 nm as the GO loading was increased from 0.2 to 0.5 wt%, respectively, indicating a different microstructure. X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to study the morphology and structure of the composite particles on drying. The AFM study confirms the non‐spherical shape of the particles. Thermogravimetric analysis shows improved thermal decomposition characteristics of the nanocomposite films. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Theoretical studies on the electronic and optical properties of two new alternating fluorene/carbazole copolymers

Poly(fluorene)-type materials are widely used in polymer-based emitting devices. During operation there appears, however, an additional emission peak at around 2.3 eV, leading to both a color instability and reduced efficiency. The incorporation of the carbazole units has been proven to efficiently suppress the keto defect emission. In this contribution, we apply quantum-chemical techniques to investigate two series of alternating fluorene/carbazole oligomers and copolymers poly[2,7-(N-(2-methyl)-carbazole)-co-alt-2,7-m(9,9-dimethylfluorene)], namely, PFmCz (m = 1,2) and gain a detailed understanding of the influence of carbazole units on the electronic and optical properties of fluorene derivatives. The electronic properties of the neutral molecules, HOMO-LUMO gaps (Delta(H-L)), in addition to the positive and negative ions, are studied using B3LYP functional. The lowest excitation energies (E(g)s) and the maximal absorption wavelength lambda(abs) of PFmCz (m = 1,2) are studied, employing the time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT). The properties of the two copolymers, such as Delta(H-L), E(g), IPs, and EAs were obtained by extrapolating those of the oligomers to the inverse chain length equal to zero (1/n = 0). The outcomes showed that the carbazole unit is a good electron-donating moiety for electronic materials, and the incorporation of carbazole into the polyfluorene (PF) backbone resulted in a broadened energy gap and a blue shift of both the absorption and photoluminescence emission peaks. Most importantly, the HOMO energies of PF1Cz and PF2Cz are both a higher average (0.4 eV) than polyfluorene (PF), which directly results in the decreasing of IPs of about 0.2 eV more than PF, indicating that the carbazole units have significantly improved the hole injection properties of the copolymers. In addition, the energy gap tends to broaden and the absorption and emission peaks are gradually blue-shifted to shorter wavelengths with an increase in the carbazole content in the copolymers. This is due to the interruption of the longer conjugation length of the backbone in the (F1Cz)(n) series.     

Synthesis and nonlinear optical properties of polyacetylenes containing oxadiazole and thiophene pendant groups with high thermal stability

A series of random copolymers poly(3‐ethynylthiophene)‐copoly(2‐(4‐decyloxyphenyl)‐5‐(4‐ethynylphenyl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole) with different oxadiazole content ( P2 – P4 ) and homopolymer poly(3‐ethynylthiophene) ( P1 ) as well as poly(2‐(4‐decyloxyphenyl)‐5‐(4‐ethynylphenyl)‐1,3,4‐oxadiazole) ( P5 ) were prepared. The copolymers ( P2 – P4 ) are completely soluble in common organic solvents. The structures and properties of all polymers were characterized and evaluated by FTIR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, TGA, UV, PL, GPC, and nonlinear optical (NLO) analyses. The incorporation of diaryl‐oxadiazole into polyacetylene‐containing thiophene significantly endows copolymers with higher thermal stability, which may origin from the synergetic effect of the “jacket effect” of diaryl‐oxadiazole units and the effect of retarding or eliminating a few 6π‐electrocycliaztion proceeds of oxadiazole‐containing polyacetylene due to the hindrance of thiophene units. When the copolymer ( P3 ) posses more regular alternating thiophene pendants and oxadiazole pendants arrangement along the polymer backbone, it shows good thermal stability (T_d up to 388 °C) and larger third‐order nonlinear optical susceptibility (χ(3) up to 11.0 × 10^?11 esu). © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010