PHOTOCROSSLINKABLE POLY(VINYL ALCOHOLS) - PREPARATION, PROPERTIES ANDAPPLICATIONS

The attachment of quaternized styrylheterocycles, e.g. styrylpyridiniu m residues, to poly(vinyl alcohol) backbones gives rise to the formati on of highly photosensitive polymers with good water solubility althou gh the extent of the substitution with the photosensitive groups is ex tremely low, The preparative procedure and the photoinduced insolubili zation mechanism of this kind of photopolymers are presented, These po lymers display unique chemical as well as physical properties without significant deterioration of many of the properties of poly(vinyl alco hols) on which they are based, This is due to the low level of photocr osslinkable units required, The photopolymers have been employed to ma ke printing plates, color filters and fluorescence screens for cathode ray tubes, to entrap biocatalysts including enzymes and microbial cel ls in photocrosslinked networks, and to fabricate biosensors and biore actors, and are applicable in other fields.