Exploratory Syntheses of Polymers Possessing Electrically Conducting, Liquid Crystalline, Piezoelectric, and Nonlinear Optical Activity

Abstract

Abstract Studies of the synthesis of organic polymers potentially possessing electrically conductive, piezoelectric, and nonlinear optical properties are described. The electrically conducting polymer studies center on polyaromatic quinondiimines, analogs of the known conducting polymer polyaniline. Various polycondensation polymers based on anthraquinone and on heterocyclic quinones were examined. Multiazoarylene polymers were also synthesized by oxidative coupling of aromatic diamines. Their fidms were found to be n-dopable but were not very conductive. Polyesters and polyformals containing multiazoarylene units also were not highly conductive. Liquid crystal properties were observed for multiazobisphenol sebacate polyesters. Toward piezoactive polymers, a polyvinylidene fluoride macromonomer was synthesized via telomerization of vinylidene fluoride with methanol. Films of poly(bicyclobutane-1-carbonitrile) were found to show piezoactivity. 2-Ethyl-2-butylmalonimide was synthesized and subjected to ring...