SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BIS(ISOPROPENYLPHENOXY)ALKANES AND BIS(VINYLPHENOXY)ALKANES - 2 CLASSES OF HIGHLY REACTIVE, PHOTOPOLYMERIZABLE MONOMERS

A novel and facile synthesis of difunctional, aromatic vinyl ether analogs is reported. These materials, which are conveniently prepared by the condensation of 4-acetoxystyrene or 4-isopropenylphenyl acetate with alpha,omega-dihaloalkanes in the presence of base, can be cationically polymerized using diaryliodonium or triarylsulfonium salts as photoinitiators to produce crosslinked polymers. Relative reactivities of the monomers toward cationic polymerization were studied using differential scanning photocalorimetry. The thermal stabilities of the polymers resulting from the photopolymerization of the difunctional, aromatic vinyl ether analogs were studied using thermogravimetric analysis.