Crosslinked cyclophosphazene

Polymer 2 (Fig. 4.1) is an example of a condensation polymer where a difionctional cyclophosphazene can react with an organic or an inorganic difiinctional reagent to afford a linear polymer. These polymers contain the cyclophosphazene ring as a repeat motif in the polymer backbone. These polymers have also been termed cyclolinear polymers. In this type of polymers also, the scope for variation is considerable, although in practice this has not been realized. Polymers of the type 3 (Fig. 4.1) are examples of in-termolecularly crosslinked cyclophosphazenes. These are reminiscent of thermoset polymers such as phenol-formaldehyde or melamine-formaldehyde resins. The presence of the cyclophosphazene units in the crosslinked matrix is expected to impart special properties. However, this family of polymers also has not yet fulfilled the promise that they seem to hold. 

Cyclolinear polymers contain cyclophosphazenes as a repeat unit of a polymer chain. Cyclomatrix polymers contain crosslinked cyclophosphazene units. These polymers have not been studied as well as the other members of the phosphazene polymer family. Some of the strategies that have been employed for the preparation of these types of polymers are discussed in this section. The preparation of cyclolinear polymers depends on the design of cyclophosphazene monomers that retain two reactive sites. A few strategies for achieving the synthesis of such monomers are shown in Fig. 4.21 [17],... 

Commercial interest in cyclophosphazenes is demonstrated by the large number of patents involving these materials. Due to its facile thermal, electron beam or photochemical crosslinking to cyclomatrix polymers which forms very hard thin films, the hydroxyethyImethacrylato derivative,... 

---