Theoretical and Experimental Study of Thymine Based Photoresist Polymers

ESTENOZ, D. A.; GARCÍA, F.; LUCIANI, C. V.; MARTINO, D.; REYNA, D.; WARNER, J.

Washington D.C.

Congreso; 11th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference; 2007

In this work, the syntheses of water-soluble copolymers based on vinylbenzylthymine (VBT) and on ionically-charged monomers (vinylbenzyl triethylammonium chloride and vinylphenylsulfonic acid sodium salt) are investigated. The effects of the monomers type, comonomers molar ratio, monomer-to-solvent ratio, reaction temperature, and residence time on the molecular structure, solubility, and photoreactivity are studied. Samples were taken along the reactions to determine: a) monomer conversion and solubility by gravimetric analysis, and b) molecular weight distribution by size exclusion chromatography (SEC). The obtained VBT-based copolymers were cast onto a compatible substrate (PET), and cured by UV irradiation at room temperature. The cured materials were characterized by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), FTIR, and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. A mathematical model was developed that simulates the synthesis bio-compatible polymer. The model assumes the standard low temperature styrene kinetics, and calculates monomer conversion, copolymer composition, and the MWD. It was validated with experimental data. The theoretical predictions closely match the measurements.