Molecular Engineering of Polymers and Polymer Systems for Photonics and Electronics

Abstract

ABSTRACTRod-like polymers dressed with a skin of flexible short side-chains and overall cylindrical shape have been developed towards application in photonics and electronics. Layered structures which qualify as ‘molecular composites’ are obtained applying the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique to these materials. The rod-like moieties are embedded in a continuous matrix formed by the side-chain segments. The orientation of the rods in the matrix is determined by the rheology of the LB-process. Photoreactive groups incorporated into the side-chain moieties allow photoresist patterns to be formed. The actual chemistry of the layer forming systems is based on poly(phthalocyaninatosiloxanes)s, helical poly(peptide)s, poly(silane)s or cellulose ethers. Some of the polymers have been designed to be chromophores for NLO processes or may serve as hosts for chromophores or ionophores.More complex architectures arise by preparation of structures with alternating layers of different chemical composition. The preparation of stripe wave guide patterns and of Si-based ion sensors is described.