New colorless substrates based on polynorbornene‐chlorinated polyimide copolymers and their application for flexible displays

Novel polynorbornene (PNB)‐polyimide (PI) copolymers were synthesized based on poly(N‐phenyl‐exo‐norbornene‐5,6‐dicarboximide) (PPhNI) and chlorinated PI (BPDA/TCDB). Polynorbornene copolymers (PNCs) with diverse compositions of anhydride were synthesized via ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of N‐phenyl‐exo‐norbornene‐5,6‐dicarboximide (PhNI) and exo‐7‐oxanorbornene‐5,6‐dicarboxylic anhydride(exo‐NA), followed by copolymerization through a reaction with aromatic dianhydride (3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetra‐carboxylic dianhydride, BPDA) and tetrachlorinated diamine (2,2′,5,5′‐tetrachlorobenzidine, TCDB). The copolymer (PNIC) films exhibited good optical transparency with a transmittance of around 70% at 400 nm and a good thermal stability with a glass transition temperature at 276–300 °C. These flexible films also resisted most organic solvents and chemicals, such as methanol, acetone, tetrahydrofuran, N‐methylpyrrolidone, ethyl acetate, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, and hydrogen peroxide, etc. Indium tin oxide (ITO) coated thin films were prepared at various substrate deposition temperatures with a radio frequency (r.f.) planar magnetron sputtering system. The ITO thin films that were deposited onto the PNIC copolymer substrates had good electrical and optical properties. An organic light‐emitting device (OLED) was fabricated using the PNIC copolymer substrate with a structure of PNIC08/ ITO (anode)/hole‐transporting layer (HTL)/emitting & electron‐transporting layer (EM&ETL)/aluminum (cathode). The flexible OLED fabricated on the ITO‐grown PNIC substrate exhibited a performance that was comparable to corresponding ITO‐grown glass substrates. Therefore, the ITO‐grown PNIC substrate could possibly be a promising candidate as a substrate for flexible displays. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1806–1814, 2010     

Substrates for flexible electronics: A practical investigation on the electrical,film flexibility,optical, temperature,and solvent resistance properties

Designing and developing flexible electronics requires a thorough investigation of the substrates available for the fabrication of devices. Here, we present a practical study on a variety of significant substrates: polyethylene terephthalate (PET), its heat‐stabilized (HS) derivative, HS‐PET, and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) plastic insulating films; indium tin oxide (ITO)‐coated ITO/PEN and ITO/PET transparent conducting films; rigid ITO/glass and FTO/glass substrates; stainless steel and titanium foils. We put the substrates through a range of tests these actually undergo during device fabrication to determine their optical, mechanical flexibility (under different types of tensile and compressive stress bending with and without a PEDOT:PSS conducting polymer layer), solvent resistance, stability to temperature treatment (conductivity and deformation), and to UV irradiation. We highlight issues and propose solutions to improve substrate response. The results and thresholds extracted reveal limitations and windows of opportunity useful for the designer of flexible optoelectronics in determining manufacturing processes and the final applications under everyday operation. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2011     

Studies on electro‐optical properties of polymer matrix/LC/ITO nanoparticles composites

In this paper, polymer‐dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films consisting of liquid crystal (LC)/monomers/indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles with good near‐infrared absorption property had been fabricated, and the influence of the ITO nanoparticles modified with 3‐methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (KH570) on the PDLC films was systematically studied. First, different liquid crystal content was studied to obtain PDLC films with good electro‐optical properties. And then, various weight ratio of ITO nanoparticles was added to samples. While the content of ITO nanoparticles was increased, the saturation voltage increased and the CR decreased. Though the electro‐optical properties of PDLC samples reduced with the addition ITO nanoparticles, the near‐infrared absorption property of films was enhanced.     

Synthesis and electrochemical and electroluminescent properties of N‐phenylcarbazole‐substituted poly(p‐phenylenevinylene)

An N‐phenylcarbazole‐containing poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) (PPV), poly[(2‐(4′‐carbazol‐9‐yl‐phenyl)‐5‐octyloxy‐1,4‐phenylenevinylene)‐alt‐(2‐(2′‐ethylhexyloxy)‐5‐methoxy‐1,4‐phenylenevinylene)] (Cz‐PPV), was synthesized, and its optical, electrochemical, and electroluminescent properties were studied. The molecular structures of the key intermediates, the carbazole‐containing boronic ester and the dialdehyde monomer, were crystallographically characterized. The polymer was soluble in common organic solvents and exhibited good thermal stability with a 5% weight loss at temperatures above 420 °C in nitrogen. A cyclic voltammogram showed the oxidation peak potentials of both the pendant carbazole group and the PPV main chain, indicating that the hole‐injection ability of the polymer would be improved by the introduction of the carbazole‐functional group. A single‐layer light‐emitting diode (LED) with a simple configuration of indium tin oxide (ITO)/Cz‐PPV (80 nm)/Ca/Al exhibited a bright yellow emission with a brightness of 1560 cd/m² at a bias of 11 V and a current density of 565 mA/cm². A double‐layer LED device with the configuration of ITO/poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxy‐2,5‐thiophene):poly (styrenesulfonic acid) (60 nm)/Cz‐PPV (80 nm)/Ca/Al gave a low turn‐on voltage at 3 V and a maximum brightness of 6600 cd/m² at a bias of 8 V. The maximum electroluminescent efficiency corresponding to the double‐layer device was 1.15 cd/A, 0.42 lm/W, and 0.5%. The desired electroluminescence results demonstrated that the incorporation of hole‐transporting functional groups into the PPVs was effective for enhancing the electroluminescent performance. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 5765–5773, 2005     

Azobenzene‐containing LC polymethacrylates highly photosensitive in broad spectral range

Two photosensitive chiral liquid crystalline azobenzene‐containing polymethacrylates having different length of flexible spacer connecting chromophores with backbone were synthesized and their phase behavior and photo‐optical properties were studied. Both polymers consist of lateral methyl substituents in ortho‐position of azobenzene chromophores providing high photosensitivity even in red spectral region as well as high thermal stability of photoinduced Z‐form of azobenzene chromophores. It is shown, that smectic phase (SmA*) formation in films of polymer with longer spacer predetermines its quite unusual spectral response to UV and subsequent visible light actions. The SmA* phase promotes spontaneous homeotropic alignment of azobenzene chromophores in polymer films. UV‐irradiation induces not only E‐Z isomerization but also results in disruption of homeotropic alignment, whereas subsequent visible light action enables to obtain films with the low degree of chromophores orientation. The photo‐orientation phenomena under the action of polarized light of different wavelength on polymer films were studied. The possibility of using red polarized light of moderate intensity for optical photorecording on polymer films is demonstrated. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 2962–2970     

Synthesis of new fluorinated aromatic poly (ether ketone amide)s containing cardo structures by a heterogeneous palladium‐catalyzed carbonylative polycondensation

New fluorinated aromatic poly (ether ketone amide)s containing cardo structures were prepared by a heterogeneous palladium‐catalyzed polycondensation of fluorinated aromatic diiodides with ether ketone units, aromatic diamines containing cardo groups, and CO. Polymerizations were conducted in N,N‐dimethylacetamide at 120°C using 6 mol% of magnetic nanoparticles‐supported bidentate phosphine palladium (II) complex [Fe₃O₄@SiO₂‐2P‐PdCl₂] as catalyst and 1,8‐diazabicyclo[5,4,0]‐7‐undecene as base and resulted in fluorinated cardo poly (ether ketone amide)s with inherent viscosities up to 0.75 dL/g. All the polymers were readily soluble in many organic solvents and could afford transparent, flexible, and strong films by solution casting. These polymers showed good thermal stability with the glass transition temperature of 237°C–258°C, the temperature at 5% weight loss of 462°C–477°C in nitrogen. These polymer films also exhibited good mechanical properties, excellent electrical and dielectric performance, and high optical transparency. The incorporation of bulky fluorinated groups and cardo structures into polymer backbone has played an important role in the improvement of solubility, dielectric performance, and optical properties. Importantly, the heterogeneous palladium catalyst can easily be recovered from the reaction mixture by simply applying an external magnet and recycled up to 7 times without significant loss of catalytic activity.     

Synthesis,photoluminescence, and electrochromism of polyamides containing (3,6‐di‐tert‐butylcarbazol‐9‐yl)triphenylamine units

A new carbazole‐derived, triphenylamine (TPA)‐containing aromatic dicarboxylic acid monomer, 4,4′‐dicarboxy‐4″‐(3,6‐di‐tert‐butylcarbazol‐9‐yl)TPA, was synthesized, and it led to a series of electroactive aromatic polyamides with main‐chain TPA and pendent 3,6‐bis(tert‐butyl)carbazole units by reacting it with various aromatic diamines via the phosphorylation polyamidation technique. The polyamides were amorphous with good solubility in many organic solvents and could be solution‐cast into flexible and strong films. They showed high glass‐transition temperatures (282–335 °C) and high thermal stability (10% weight loss temperatures >480 °C). The electroactive polymer films had well‐defined and reversible redox couples with good cycle stability in acetonitrile solutions. The polymer films also exhibited fluorescent and multielectrochromic behaviors. The anodically electrochromic polyamide films had moderate coloration efficiency (～100 cm²/C) and high optical contrast ratio of transmittance change (Δ%T) up to 47% at 813 nm and 48% at 414 nm for the green coloring. After hundreds of cyclic switches, the polymer films still retained good redox and electrochromic activity. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Synthesis and evaluation of photoluminescent and electrochemical properties of new aromatic polyamides and polyimides with a kink 1,2‐phenylenediamine moiety

A series of novel triphenylamine‐containing aromatic polyamides and polyimides having a crank and twisted noncoplanar structures were synthesized in inherent viscosities of 0.14–0.64 dL/g and 0.11–0.67 dL/g, respectively. These polymers had useful levels of thermal stability associated with relatively high glass‐transition temperatures (174–311 °C). They exhibited strong UV–Vis absorption bands at around 300 nm in NMP solutions. The PL spectra of these polymers in NMP solutions (1 × 10^?5 M) showed maximum peaks around 396–479 nm. The hole‐transporting and electrochromic properties were examined by electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical methods. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) of the polymer films cast onto an indium‐tin oxide (ITO)‐coated glass substrate exhibited two reversible oxidation redox couples at potentials of 0.70–1.01 V and 1.10–1.46 V, respectively, vs. Ag/AgCl in acetonitrile solution. The polymer films revealed electrochromic characteristics, with a color change from neutral pale yellowish to green and then to a blue oxidized form at applied potentials ranging from 0.00 to 1.75 V. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 2587–2603, 2006     

Engineering of UV‐absorbing polypropylene films containing poly(2‐(2′‐hydroxy‐5′‐methacryloxyethylphenyl)‐2H‐benzotriazole) nanoparticles

Ultraviolet‐absorbing nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared by emulsion co‐polymerization of the vinylic monomer 2‐(2′‐hydroxy‐5′‐methacryloxyethylphenyl)‐2H‐benzotriazole (Norbloc?, NB) with the crosslinking monomer divinylbenzene. The effect of total monomer, surfactant, crosslinker, and initiator concentrations on the size and size distribution of the formed NPs was elucidated. The NB monomer and the formed polyNB (PNB) NPs of 19 ± 2 nm were then incorporated into polypropylene (PP) films by melt‐compounding technique by using cast film extrusion. Increasing the PNB NP concentrations integrated within the PP films decreased their UV transmittance. Migration of the UV absorbing PNB NPs from the PP films was not observed during 3 years of storage at room temperature or while exposure to extreme conditions. Under the same conditions, a significant migration was observed for the NB monomer‐containing films. Overall, the PNB NP‐containing films are clear and transparent, although the haze was affected by the addition of NB and PNB NPs. Moreover, the films have good mechanical properties and UV‐blocking quality. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new near‐infrared switchable electrochromic polymer and its device application

A new near‐infrared switchable electrochromic polymer containing carbazole pendant (poly‐SNSC), synthesized by electrochemical polymerization of 2,5‐bis‐dithienyl‐1H‐pyrrole (SNS) main chain, has been prepared. The electrochemical and optical properties of SNSC monomer and its polymer have been investigated. Because of having two different electro‐donor moieties; that is, carbazole and SNS, SNSC gave two separate electrochemical oxidation and also light brown color of the film in the neutral state turn into gray on oxidation. An electrochromic device, contructed in the sandwich configuration [indium tin oxide (ITO)‐coated glass/anodically coloring polymer (poly‐SNSC)//gel electrolyte//cathodically coloring polymer (PEDOT)/ITO‐coated glass] and exhibited a high coloration efficiency (1216 cm² C^–1), a very short response time (about 0.3 s), low driving voltage, and a high redox stability. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

A facile approach to prepare soluble side‐chain polyimides for second‐order nonlinear optics

A simple and generally applicable new synthetic method to prepare second‐order nonlinear optical (NLO) polyimides has been developed. In this approach, side‐chain‐substituted polyimides were synthesized via isocyanato‐terminated prepolymers prepared directly from NLO chromophore‐containing diols Disperse Red 19. Using this technique, the tedious synthesis of the classical diamine monomers and harsh imidization process associated with polyamic acid prepolymers are avoided. The resulting polymers possessed good solubility and high glass‐transition (171–211 °C) and thermal‐decomposition temperatures. The polymers also exhibited excellent film‐forming properties, and good optical‐quality films were easily obtained by spin coating. The second‐order NLO activities of the polymer films were also studied, and several factors that might determine the growth of the second‐order NLO activity were proposed. The polymers obtained exhibit a large second‐order NLO activity (34–52.5 pm/V at 1064 nm). © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2189–2195, 2001     

Nearly monochromatic red electroluminescence from a nonconjugated polymer containing carbazole segments and phenanthroline [Eu(β‐diketonate)3] moieties

A novel nonconjugated copolymer (PVKEu) with carbazole segments and phenanthroline [Eu(β‐diketonate)₃] moieties was synthesized via free radical copolymerization, and characterized by FTIR, ¹H NMR spectroscopy, GPC, ICP, and elemental analysis. The copolymer exhibited good solubility, as well as good thermal stability and high glass transition temperature. The photoluminescence (PL) of this polymer in solution and in solid film has been studied. A multi‐layer device with the configuration of ITO/PEDOT: PSS (40 nm)/PVKEu (70 nm)/BCP (15 nm)/AlQ₃ (30 nm)/LiF/Al exhibited nearly monochromatic red emission at 615 nm and voltage‐independent spectral stability. Our results suggest that enhancing the ligand‐mediated energy transfer between the matrix polymer and europium complex is a potential method to improve the electroluminescence performance of the Eu‐chelated polymers. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 210–221, 2009     

Synthesis and characterization of fluorinated poly(amide imide)s derived from 1,4‐bis(2′‐trifluoromethyl‐4′‐trimellitimidophenoxy)benzene and aromatic diamines

A series of fluorinated poly(amide imide)s were prepared from 1,4‐bis(2′‐trifluoromethyl‐4′‐trimellitimidophenoxy)benzene and various aromatic diamines [3,3′,5,5′‐tetramethyl‐4,4′‐diaminediphenylmethane, α,α‐bis(4‐amino‐3,5‐dimethyl phenyl)‐3′‐trifluoromethylphenylmethane, 1,4‐bis(4′‐amino‐2′‐trifluoromethylphenoxy)benzene, 4‐(3′‐trifluoromethylphenyl)‐2,6‐bis(3′‐aminophenyl)pyridine, and 1,1‐bis(4′‐aminophenyl)‐1‐(3′‐trifluoromethylphenyl)‐2,2,2‐trifluoroethane]. The fluorinated poly(amide imide)s, prepared by a one‐step polycondensation procedure, had good solubility both in strong aprotic solvents, such as N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone, dimethylacetamide, dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, and cyclopentanone, and in common organic solvents, such as tetrahydrofuran and m‐cresol. Strong and flexible polymer films with tensile strengths of 84–99 MPa and ultimate elongation values of 6–9% were prepared by the casting of polymer solutions onto glass substrates, followed by thermal baking. The poly(amide imide) films exhibited high thermal stability, with glass‐transition temperatures of 257–266 °C and initial thermal decomposition temperatures of greater than 540 °C. The polymer films also had good dielectric properties, with dielectric constants of 3.26–3.52 and dissipation factors of 3.0–7.7 × 10^?3, and acceptable electrical insulating properties. The balance of excellent solubility and thermal stability associated with good mechanical and electrical properties made the poly(amide imide)s potential candidates for practical applications in the microelectronics industry and other related fields. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 1831–1840, 2003     

Novel family of triphenylamine‐containing,hole‐transporting,amorphous, aromatic polyamides with stable electrochromic properties

We report the preparation and characterization of a series of novel electrochromic, aromatic poly(amine amide)s with pendent triphenylamine units. The synthesis proceeded via direct phosphorylation polycondensation between a novel diamine, N,N‐bis(4‐aminophenyl)‐N′,N′‐diphenyl‐1,4‐phenylenediamine, and various aromatic dicarboxylic acids. All the poly(amine amide)s were amorphous and readily soluble in many common organic solvents and could be solution‐cast into transparent, tough, and flexible films with good mechanical properties. They exhibited good thermal stability and 10% weight‐loss temperatures above 540 °C. Their glass‐transition temperatures were 263–290 °C. These polymers in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone solutions exhibited strong ultraviolet–visible absorption peaks at 307–358 nm and photoluminescence peaks around 532–590 nm in the green region. The hole‐transporting and electrochromic properties were studied with electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical methods. Cyclic voltammograms of poly(amine amide) films prepared by the casting of polymer solutions onto an indium tin oxide coated glass substrate exhibited two reversible oxidation redox couples at 0.65 and 1.03 V versus Ag/AgCl in an acetonitrile solution. All the poly(amine amide)s showed excellent stability with respect to their electrochromic characteristics; the color of the films changed from pale yellow to green and then blue at 0.85 and 1.25 V, respectively. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 2085–2098, 2005     

Development of hydrogenated ring‐opening metathesis polymers

New hydrogenated ring‐opening metathesis polymers with excellent thermal and optical properties were developed. These polymers were prepared by the ring‐opening metathesis polymerization of ester‐substituted tetracyclododecene monomers followed by the hydrogenation of the main‐chain double bond. The degree of hydrogenation was an important factor for the thermal stability of the polymers, and as complete hydrogenation as possible was necessary to obtain a thermally stable polymer. The completely hydrogenated ring‐opening polymer derived from 8‐methyl‐8‐methoxycarbonyl‐substituted monomer has a glass‐transition temperature of 171 °C and a 5% weight‐loss temperature of 446 °C. This polymer has excellent thermal and optical properties because of its bulky and unsymmetrical polycyclic structure in the main chain and is an alternative to glass or other transparent polymers such as poly(methyl methacrylate) and polycarbonate resin. This polymer has also been used in a wide variety of applications, such as optical lenses, optical disks, optical films, and optical fiber. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4661–4668, 2000     

Synthesis of a new class of triphenylamine‐containing poly(ether‐imide)s for electrochromic applications

A novel triphenylamine (TPA)‐containing bis(ether anhydride) monomer, namely 4,4′‐bis(3,4‐dicarboxyphenoxy)triphenylamine dianhydride, was synthesized and reacted with various aromatic diamines leading to a series of new poly(ether‐imide)s (PEI). Most of these PEIs were soluble in organic solvents and could be easily solution cast into flexible and strong films. The polymer films exhibited good thermal stability with glass‐transition temperatures in the range 211–299 °C. The polymer films exhibited reversible electrochemical processes and stable color changes (from transparent to navy blue) with high coloration efficiency and contrast ratio upon electro‐oxidation. During the electrochemical oxidation process, a crosslinked polymer structure was developed due to the coupling reaction between the TPA radical cation moieties in the polymer chains. These polymers can be used to fabricate electrochromic devices with high coloration efficiency, high redox stability, and fast response time. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 825–838     

Novel fluorinated polyimides derived from an unsymmetrical diamine containing trifluoromethyl and methyl pendant groups

Novel fluorinated polyimides were prepared from an unsymmetrical diamine, 3‐methyl‐4‐(4‐amino‐2‐trifluoromethylphenoxy)‐4'‐aminobenzophenone ( 3 ), with four aromatic dianhydrides via a one‐step high‐temperature polycondensation procedure. All the obtained polyimides were soluble in some polar solvents such as NMP, DMAc, and DMF. Flexible and tough films were prepared by casting from polymer solution. These polyimide films exhibited high optical transparency, good mechanical and thermal properties. Moreover, they possessed low dielectric constants and low‐moisture absorption. Due to their properties, these fluorinated polyimides could be considered as photoelectric and microelectronic materials. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new high‐performance blue to transmissive electrochromic material and use of silver nanowire network electrodes as substrates

Synthesis of a novel, high‐performance blue to transmissive switching electrochromic material is described. The polymer (P1) was prepared by both electrochemical ( P1E ) and chemical ( P1C ) means from the corresponding monomer. The electrochemically synthesized polymer ( P1E ) revealed 64% optical contrast change (on ITO) in the visible region and very fast switching times of 0.32 s (coloration) and 0.90 s (bleaching). On the other hand, the chemically synthesized, solution processable polymer ( P1C ) also showed a high optical contrast value (49%, on ITO) with very fast switching times of 0.86 s for coloration and 0.57 s for bleaching. These high optical contrast values coupled with fast switching times place these materials along with high‐performance blue to transmissive electrochromic polymers. Significantly, these improved characteristics were achieved by side chain engineering of a known, inferior blue to transmissive polymer, PBEBT. Towards fabrication of flexible electrochromic devices, the performance of P1C was also tested on silver nanowire network electrodes. Even though the full potential of the material could not be demonstrated, a good optical contrast of 24% was achieved using these electrodes. Under the same potential range allowed by silver nanowire network electrodes, P1C on ITO showed an optical contrast of 30%. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2017 , 55, 1680–1686     

Synthesis and optoelectronic properties of alternating benzofuran/terfluorene copolymer with stable blue emission

The solution processable alternating benzofuran/terfluorene copolymer bearing side oxadiazole groups ( PBF‐OXD ) was synthesized and its optoelectronic properties and color stability were investigated. Electron‐deficient and stereohindered oxadiazole units were used as pendent groups to compensate for the poor electron‐transporting ability of a p‐type polymer backbone, to depress the intermolecular π‐stacking, and to improve solubility while retaining polymer blue emission. PBF‐OXD showed a glass transition at 135 °C and an onset decomposition temperature of ～345 °C. A simple EL device, with the configuration of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/ PBF‐OXD /Ba/Al, displayed a stable blue emission (λ_max = 434 nm), good color purity (full width half‐maximum = 59 nm), maximum brightness of 1400 cd/m², and a maximum luminance efficiency of 0.95 cd/A. The PL and EL spectra changed slightly on annealing and on increasing the applied voltage. These results show that the as‐synthesized copolymer PBF‐OXD had integrated respective functions of its different building blocks and exhibited good thermal and color stability with improved EL performance. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 5488–5497, 2009     

Synthesis and electrooptic properties of side‐chain methacrylate polymers containing a new azophenylbenzoxazole chromophore

The synthesis and characterization of four methacrylate copolymers obtained by radical addition polymerization of methyl methacrylate as well as a new methacrylate azophenylbenzoxazole chromophore in percentages of 10, 30, 50, and 70% were explored. The copolymers were amorphous and showed glass‐transition temperatures ranging from 132 to 146 °C. High‐quality polymer films were easily obtained by spin coating from N‐methylpyrrolidone solutions. Polymer films spun cast on iridium tin oxide (ITO) substrates were used in the electro‐optic (EO) experiments to evaluate the EO coefficients r₃₃ using the reflection technique. The measured values fell in the range of 1.7–3.7 pm/V (laser incident wavelength of 1.552 μm) depending on the percentage of chromophore in the polymer. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 1162–1168, 2001