Abstract: | Photopolymerization reaction in di n-propyl ester of dicyano p-phenylene diacrylic acid crystal is shown to be mediated by exciton–phonon coupling. Raman phonon spectra suggest that at the initial stage of reaction progress, the reactant and the product form a solid solution. In the later stage, the reactant segregates out and forms its own lattice. The polymer lattice is shown to maintain a good degree of order. Infrared and Raman spectra confirm that the polymerization occurs by cyclobutane ring formation. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |