Synthesis of photocrosslinkable multibranched polymers having cinnamoyl groups at chain ends

Abstract A multibranched polymer having photocrosslinkable cinnamoyl groups at the side chain ends was synthesized by means of grafting from living anionic polymerization and subsequent chain end modification of the living polymer with ethylene oxide and cinnamoyl chloride. Thereafter, the network polymers could be synthesized by intermolecular crosslinking reactions associated with the photodimerization reaction of cinnamoyl groups of the obtained multibranched polymers by UV irradiation. Rheological measurement of the polymer indicated that the network structure was formed in response to UV irradiation.