Synthesis of Poly(olefin sulfone)s That Release Low-Molecular-Weight Bases by Light Absorption and Investigation of Their Photoinduced Depolymerization

Poly-(olefin sulfone)-s react with bases, leading to a depolymerization reaction, and convert themselves into monomers. A poly-(olefin sulfone) with an incorporated photobase generator undergoes depolymerization when exposed to light and subsequently heated. In previous studies, low-molecular-weight photobase generators have been mixed with poly-(olefin sulfone)-s or have been introduced onto their side chains. A photobase generator in a side chain decomposes when it is exposed to light, and a base attached to the main chain is generated. In the present study, we synthesized novel poly-(olefin sulfone)-s in which a photobase-generating moiety that releases a low-molecular-weight base is introduced into the side chains. In the polymers synthesized in this study, the photobase generator is uniformly dispersed throughout the polymer, and the generated bases can move freely. The photodegradation behavior of this polymer was investigated in detail.