Photoinitiated Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization

Abstract

This study is based on a latent ruthenium catalyst that includes a Schiff base moiety. This catalyst was formulated with a photoacid generator and a ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) active monomer such as cyclooctadiene or dicyclopentadiene. Exposure of this mixture to ultraviolet light generates acid that protonates the Schiff base and thereby renders the latent catalyst active leading to ROMP of the monomer. A resist system based on new photoinitiated ROMP chemistry has been developed. This sort of formulation has been used to produce high-resolution replicas of a transparent mold by imprint lithography.