Ilmar L. Kalnin

Synthesis And Properties of Multifunctional Polymers

Abstract : Recent work aimed at developing new polymers which exhibit useful optical, electro-optical, and piezoelectric properties is presented. The materials under study are polymers with methacrylate backbones and oxynitrostilbene side chains. The synthesis is outlined, and pyroelectric, electro-optic, and thermal property data are reported and discussed.

Process for the production of stabilized acrylic fibers which are particularly suited for thermal conversion to carbon fibers

An improved process for the relatively rapid thermal stabilization of a multifilamentary acrylic fibrous material in the substantial absence of filament coalescence is provided. The fibrous material is initially contacted with a solution of hydroxylamine (as described), and subsequently with a solution of ammonium permanganate, calcium permanganate, magnesium permanganate, or mixtures thereof (as described). The resulting fibrous material which possesses a chemically altered structure is heated in an oxygen-containing atmosphere until a thermally stabilized acrylic fibrous material is formed which is capable of undergoing carbonization and is non-burning when subjected to an ordinary match flame.

Electro-optic and nonlinear optical polymers and devices

Early work at Hoechst Celanese1 demonstrated that methacrylate polymers with mesogenic side chains could be made with reasonably large electro-optic activity. The mesogenic side chains are polar so that a non-centrosymmetric structure can be obtained by heating a film near its Tg in a strong d.c. electric field and thus orienting the side chains. In Figure 1, the general structure of methacrylate based electro-optic polymers using polar nitro-stilbene chromophores is shown.