| Abstract: | A series of α,ω-bis(3-formylcarbazolyl)alkane monomers have been prepared starting from carbazole and α,ω-dibromoalkane in two steps. Main-chain polymers with carbazole substituted with one acceptor group as the nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophores and photoconductive moieties were synthesized by the Knoevenagel polycondensation of α,ω-bis(3-formylcarbazolyl)alkane and 1,6-bis(cyanoacetoxy)hexane using 4-(N,N-dimethyl)pyridine (DMAP) as a base. This Knoevenagel polycondensation involved two stages: polycondensation was first carried out in tetrahydrofuran solution, and then polycondensation was allowed to continue in the solid-state after removal of solvent. All of these main-chain polymers characterized by spectroscopic methods and elemental analyses are soluble in common low boiling organic solvents, such as chloroform. These polymers were found to be amorphous with glass transition temperatures in the range of 94–117°C by differential scanning calorimetry. This two-stage polycondensation gave polymers with weight-average molecular weight in the range of 25,000–72,000 g/mol by gel permeation chromatography. The study of the nonlinear optical and photorefractive properties of these polymers is in progress. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |
