Synthesis and photopolymerization of oxetanes derived from bisphenol A

A series of new dioxetanes derived from bisphenol A has been synthesized. Polymers were obtained by photopolymerization. The polymerization shrinkage of these relatively fast polymerizing dioxetane monomers was < 3%, much less than that of dimethacrylates of a comparable molecular weight. The rates of polymerization compare favorably with that of the diglycidylether of bisphenol A, which also exhibits a low shrinkage. The relationship between the chemical structure and the temperature of maximum mechanical loss was investigated. Some of the new polymers exhibit temperatures of maximum mechanical loss sufficiently high to be useful for precision optical components made by photoreplication. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.