Photopolymerization

Liquid-phase photopolymerization was used to fabricate plastic chips [218, 219]. To create a microchannel, a UV photomask was used so that the masked channel areas were prevented from polymerization, while the exposed areas were photopo-lymerized. Subsequent suction and flushing removed the unexposed monomer mixtures [218]. 

Thiolene-based optical adhesive was patterned by a photomask to form the microfluidic channel. This material, in contrast to PDMS, is solvent resistant [220], 

In another report, transparent channels (of width 500-200 pm and depth 50-180 pm) were filled with a photopolymerizable liquid mixture consisting of acrylic acid and 2-hydroxyl methacrylate (1 4 molar ratio), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (1 wt%), and a photoinitiator (3 wt% Irgacure 651 or 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone). Polymerization was completed in less than 20 s to produce the hydrogel structures [221]. 

In another report of hydrogel formation, 2,2-bis(hydroxymethylpropionic acid) was used as the photoinitiator [222]. 

A liquid preparation with solid polystyrene (0.6 g) dissolved in liquid styrene monomer (1.5 mL) was cast against a mold. Polymerization was accomplished with UV irradiation (21°C, 18 h). Solid PS was included to reduce the degree of shrinkage that occurred when monomeric styrene was photopolymerized [85]. In a similar manner, PMMA dissolved in MMA was cast against a Si master. Upon UV polymerization (with BME as the photoinitiator), a PMMA chip is formed. Nearly 100 PMMA chips can be replicated using a single Si master [223]. 

Both free radical and ionic polymerizations are restricted to certain types of monomers. Many olefinic and acrylic monomers are readily polymerizable by a free radical mechanism, whereas other compounds such as oxiranes (epoxides) 

According to the large number of publications and patents concerned with photopolymerization that continue to appear, this field is still expanding. This remarkable development has been documented in various books and reviews [l-4h]. 

The polymerization is only slightly retarded by oxygen but is strongly retarded by NH3. Consequently, it is presumably a cationic polymerization. 

Charge transfer between a polymerizable donor and a polymerizable acceptor can also lead to a charge transfer complex which may be raised to the excited state by irradiation with light. This kind of photoinitiation may lead to either a unipolymerization of one of the two monomers or to a copolymerization (see Section 22.4.3). 

In actual photopolymerization, each individual propagation step is photochemically activated. Here, a reactive ground state or an excited singlet or triplet state may react. 

The photoreductive dimerization of aromatic diketones to high-molecular-weight poly(benzpinnacols) is an example of the involvement of a reactive ground state produced by a photochemical reaction  

Singlet states are involved in the photopolymerization of anthracene derivatives, which represents a i4n H- 4n) cycloaddition  

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Photopolymerization reactions of monolayers have become of interest (note Chapter XV). Lando and co-workers have studied the UV polymerization of 16-heptadecenoic acid [311] and vinyl stearate [312] monolayers. Particularly interesting is the UV polymerization of long-chain diacetylenes. As illustrated in Fig. IV-30, a zipperlike process can occur if the molecular orientation in the film is just right (e.g., polymerization does not occur readily in the neat liquid) (see Refs. 313-315). 

An alternative approach envisages the stimulating idea to produce an all-carbon fullerene polymer in which adjacent fullerenes are linked by covalent bonds and align in well characterized one-, two- and tliree-dimensional arrays. Polymerization of [60]fullerene, with the selective fonnation of covalent bonds, occurs upon treatment under pressure and relatively high temperatures, or upon photopolymerization in the absence of a triplet quencher,... 

Chemical stability. The chemical stability of SA films is of interest in many areas. However, tliere is no general mle for it. The chemical stability of silane films is remarkable, due to tlieir intennolecular crosslinking. Therefore, tliey are found to be more stable tlian LB films. Alkyltrichlorosilane monolayers provide stmctures tliat are stable to chemical conditions tliat most LB films could not stand. However, photopolymerized LB films also show considerable stability in organic solvents. 

Dry-Film Resists Based on Radical Photopolymerization. Photoinitiated polymerization (PIP) is widely practiced ia bulk systems, but special measures must be taken to apply the chemistry ia Hthographic appHcations. The attractive aspect of PIP is that each initiator species produced by photolysis launches a cascade of chemical events, effectively forming multiple chemical bonds for each photon absorbed. The gain that results constitutes a form of "chemical amplification" analogous to that observed ia silver hahde photography, and illustrates a path for achieving very high photosensitivities. 

Acid-C t lyzed Chemistry. Acid-catalyzed reactions form the basis for essentially all chemically amplified resist systems for microlithography appHcations (61). These reactions can be generally classified as either cross-linking (photopolymerization) or deprotection reactions. The latter are used to unmask acidic functionality such as phenohc or pendent carboxyhc acid groups, and thus lend themselves to positive tone resist apphcations. Acid-catalyzed polymer cross-linking and photopolymerization reactions, on the other hand, find appHcation in negative tone resist systems. Representative examples of each type of chemistry are Hsted below. 

Photopolymerization and Plasma Polymerization. The use of ultraviolet light alone (14) as well as the use of electrically excited plasmas or glow discharges to generate monomers capable of undergoing VDP have been explored. The products of these two processes, called plasma polymers, continue to receive considerable scientific attention. Interest in these approaches is enhanced by the fact that the feedstock material from which the monomer capable of VDP is generated is often inexpensive and readily available. In spite of these widespread scientific efforts, however, commercial use of the technologies is quite limited. 

Hexafluorophosphates. There is a great deal of interest in the hexafluorophosphate anion [1691-18-8], mostly as organic hexafluorophosphates for catalysis in photopolymerization. A number of the compounds are diazonium compounds (see Photoreactivepolymers). 

Vlayl fluoride undergoes free-radical polymerization. The first polymerization iavolved heating a saturated solutioa of VF ia tolueae at 67°C uader 600 MPa (87,000 psi) for 16 h (24). A wide variety of ioitiators and polymerization conditions have been explored (25—27). Examples of bulk (28,29) and solution (25,28,30,31) polymerizations exist however, aqueous suspension or emulsion methods are generally preferred (26,32—40). VF volatiflty dictates that moderately high pressures be used. Photopolymerizations, usually incorporating free-radical initiators, are also known (26,28,29,35). 

Polymers are only marginally important in main memories of semiconductor technology, except for polymeric resist films used for chip production. For optical mass memories, however, they are important or even indispensable, being used as substrate material (in WORM, EOD) or for both substrate material and the memory layer (in CD-ROM). Peripheral uses of polymers in the manufacturing process of optical storage media are, eg, as binder for dye-in-polymer layers or as surfacing layers, protective overcoatings, uv-resist films, photopolymerization lacquers for repHcation, etc. 

Photopolymerization. In many cases polymerization is initiated by ittadiation of a sensitizer with ultraviolet or visible light. The excited state of the sensitizer may dissociate directiy to form active free radicals, or it may first undergo a bimoleculat electron-transfer reaction, the products of which initiate polymerization (14). TriphenylaLkylborate salts of polymethines such as (23) ate photoinitiators of free-radical polymerization. The sensitivity of these salts throughout the entire visible spectral region is the result of an intra-ion pair electron-transfer reaction (101). 

The photopolymerization process taking place within a representative mixture of sensitizer, initiator, chain-transfer agent, and monomer, typical of positive Cromalin, has been studied in detail (41,42). The exact mechanism is still controversial, but a generalized reaction scheme can be postulated as follows, where L2 = biimidazole dimer, S = sensitizer, RH = chain-transfer agent, L2 = excited biimidazole dimer, L = biimidazole radical,... 

Olefin isomerization can be catalyzed by a number of catalysts such as molybdenum hexacarbonyl [13939-06-5] Mo(CO)g. This compound has also been found to catalyze the photopolymerization of vinyl monomers, the cyclization of olefins, the epoxidation of alkenes and peroxo species, the conversion of isocyanates to carbodiimides, etc. Rhodium carbonylhydrotris(triphenylphosphine) [17185-29-4] RhH(CO)(P(CgH )2)3, is a multifunctional catalyst which accelerates the isomerization and hydroformylation of alkenes. 

Photosensitized Reactions for Polymers. The economic and technical features for photocross-linking, photosolubilizafion, and photopolymerization reactions have been reviewed (55). The widely used poly(vinyl ciunamates) (PVCN) photocross-link by a photodimerization reaction. 

Photopolymerization reactions are widely used for printing and photoresist appHcations (55). Spectral sensitization of cationic polymerization has utilized electron transfer from heteroaromatics, ketones, or dyes to initiators like iodonium or sulfonium salts (60). However, sensitized free-radical polymerization has been the main technology of choice (55). Spectral sensitizers over the wavelength region 300—700 nm are effective. AcryUc monomer polymerization, for example, is sensitized by xanthene, thiazine, acridine, cyanine, and merocyanine dyes. The required free-radical formation via these dyes may be achieved by hydrogen atom-transfer, electron-transfer, or exciplex formation with other initiator components of the photopolymer system. 

Finally, block copolymers have been made in a two-step process. First a mixture of chloroprene and -xylenebis-Ai,Ar-diethyldithiocarbamate is photopolymerized to form a dithiocarbamate terminated polymer which is then photopolymerized with styrene to give the block copolymer. The block copolymer has the expected morphology, spheres of polystyrene domains in a polychloroprene matrix (46). 

Charge-transfer photopolymerizations of electron-donating monomers initiated by electron-accepting initia-... 

This result reveals that exciplex formation plays a principal role in the initiation of polymerization. Since the absorption band is broadened toward longer wavelengths as the result of formation of CTC between AN and aniline, a certain concentration of aniline can be chosen so that 365-nm light is absorbed only by the CTC but not by the aniline molecule. Therefore, in this case the photopolymerization may be ascribed to the CTC excitation selected. For example, a 5 x 10 mol/L aniline solution in AN could absorb light of 365 nm, while solutions in DMF or cyclohexane with the same concentration will show no absorption. Obviously, in this case the polymerization of AN is caused by CTC excitation. The rates of polymerization for different amines were found to be in the following order (Table 12) ... 

Li et al. [87,88] found that aniline will process the photopolymerization of AN either in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution or in bulk with a fair rate of polymerization only next to DMT. From UV spectra it is proved that aniline will form a CTC with AN. Using 313-nm radiation that CTC is excited to an exciplex and polymerization proceeds. N-methylaniline will polymerize AN similarly. The following mechanism was proposed ... 

The well-known photopolymerization of acrylic monomers usually involves a charge transfer system with carbonyl compound as an acceptor and aliphatic tertiary amine, triethylamine (TEA), as a donor. Instead of tertiary amine such as TEA or DMT, Li et al. [89] investigated the photopolymerization of AN in the presence of benzophenone (BP) and aniline (A) or N-methylaniline (NMA) and found that the BP-A or BP-NMA system will give a higher rate of polymerization than that of the well-known system BP-TEA. Still, we know that secondary aromatic amine would be deprotonated of the H-atom mostly on the N-atom so we proposed the mechanism as follows ... 

We have prepared a copolymer-bearing amino side group and used it either alone or in combination with BP to initiate the photopolymerization of MM A [89]. The gel permeation chromatography (GPC) plot of PMMA initiated by the former system showed a bimodal distribution of molecular weight because both the radicals produced initiate polymerization as follows ... 

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