BASE-SENSITIVE POLYMERS AS IMAGING MATERIALS - RADIATION-INDUCED BETA-ELIMINATION TO YIELD POLY(4-HYDROXYSTYRENE)

A novel family of functionalized polystyrenes that are susceptible to base-catalyzed beta-elimination is reported. A study of the thermal be haviors of cyano-1,1-dimethylethyl)oxy)carbonyl)oxy)styrene], poly[((( 2-cyanoethoxy)carbonyl)oxy)styrene], and [((((2-methylsulfonyl)ethoxy) carbonyl)oxy)styrene] confirms that they undergo facile and quantitati ve elimination of their side chain groups in a process that is suscept ible to base catalysis. Imaging of these polymer systems was accomplis hed using the novel,4,4'-[bis[[(2-nitrobenzyl)oxy]carbonyl] as an amin e photogenerator. Copolymerization of 2-cyano-1,1-dimethylethyl)oxy)ca rbonyl)oxy)styrene and ((t-butoxycarbonyl)oxy)styrene followed by sele ctive deprotection of the t-BOC protecting groups with acid enabled th e synthesis of a base-sensitive copolymer containing free phenol units with enhanced thin-film properties.