Synthesis and photocrosslinking of maleimide-type polymers

Self-sensitizable photocrosslinking maleimide-type polymers were synthesized by using (N-cinnamoyloxymethyl)maleimide (I) as a maleimide having a photodimerizable group, nitrophenyl acrylate as a sensitizer monomer, and styrene or methyl acrylate. The fluorescence spectra of these polymers exhibit an excimer band around 455 nm. The excimer intensity of the polymers decreased mainly during the early irradiation time. This decreasing tendency was similar to the increasing tendency of the insoluble fractions of the polymers with irradiation time. These results suggest that the photocrosslinking reaction of the polymers occurs via an excimer formation of the cinnamoyl groups and can be traced by fluorescence spectroscopy.