Preparation of a spirooxazine grafted PMMA and its photochromic properties

A novel spirooxazine (SO) compound was designed and synthesized. Macromolecular materials, called SO-g-hPMMAs (where the g means grafting and the h means partial hydrolysis), were prepared using PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) with different degrees of hydrolysis. SO-g-5%hPMMA was prepared by reacting SO-containing active C-Br bonds with 5% partially hydrolyzed PMMA. The SO was characterized using ¹H NMR and infrared. Beyond that, photochromic properties were studied in detail. We discuss the effects of hydrochloric acids and hPMMAs of different hydrolysis degrees on photochromic properties of SO-g-hPMMA. Additionally, mechanical properties of the material were studied. Results indicate that the colored ring-opening form (PMC) of SO-g-hPMMA exhibits a good performance in terms of thermal stability, in contrast to the homologous SO. Experiments additionally demonstrate that hydrochloric acid improves the PMC’s thermal stability. SO-g-9%hPMMA demonstrated a good performance of photochromic properties compared to those with different degrees of hydrolysis.