Intellectual Property Office

Non-Confidential Disclosures

“Polynorbornenes with Pendant Cyclotriphosphazenes”

PSU Inv. Disc. No 98-1980

Keywords:

Polynorbornenes; polyphosphazenes

Inventors:

H.R. Allcock, W.R. Laredo

Links:

US Patent 6,482,910
http://research.chem.psu.edu/hragroup/

Background:

A large number of polymers containing a variety of phosphazene groups have been prepared in the past several decades. The focus of these efforts has been directed to the incorporation of phosphazene or polyphosphazene into organic or inorganic polymer backbones. Numerous polymer compositions containing phosphazene groups or polyphosphazene backbones are known which contain linear phosphazene or polyphosphazene structures. Phosphazene-containing compositions are useful in a variety of applications including elastomers, optical materials, electrically conductive materials, biomedical materials, compatibilizing agents, surfactants, additives for coatings, and flame retardants. The electronic structure of a phosphazene-containing material is critical as to the chemical, as well as physical, properties of a material made of such phosphazene-containing material. For example, the electric conductivity of a phosphazene-containing material correlates positively to the content of II-stacking structure in the molecular backbone of such material. Hence, the creation of a r-stacking structure or modulation of the existing .pi.-stacking structure in a composition will affect the electrical conductivity of the composition. Similarly, the creation of a II-stacking structure or modulation of the existing II-stacking structure in a composition will affect the heat-conductivity of the composition. Moreover, linear or non-linear optical properties of an optical material can be affected by the modulation of the electronic properties of the material. It would therefore be advantageous to develop new polymer compositions having phosphazene or polyphosphazene groups or moieties, utilizing one or more of these properties.

Invention description:

A polymer composition comprising a polynorbonene backbone and pendant cyclotriphosphazene groups has been developed. The pendant cyclotriphosphazene group can have various substituents such as C1-C10 alkyl, C1-C10 haloalkyl, C3-C6 cycloalkyl, phenyl, substituted phenyl, aryl, --(CH2 CH2 OCH2CH2)n OCH3 in which n is a positive integer, aminoalkyl, alkoxyalkyl, phenoxyalkyl, aryloxyalkyl and amidoalkyl. The polynorbonene backbone can have substituents such as H, CH3, X which is a halo group, and C2-C6 alkyl, C3-C6 cycloalkyl, C2-C6 alkoxy, phenoxy, and aryloxy. The polyphosphazene compositions can be prepared readily via ring-opening-metathesis-polymerization of an olefin having norbornene structure with pendant cyclotriphosphazene groups. The polyphosphazene compositions disclosed are useful as elastomers, optical materials, electrically conductive materials, biomedical materials, compatibilizing agents, surfactants, additives for coatings, and as flame retardants.

Contact:

Bradley A. Swope
Sr. Technology Licensing Officer
Intellectual Property Office
113 Technology Center
The Pennsylvania State Univ.
University Park, PA 16802-7000
Phone: (814) 8673-5387
Fax: (814) 865-3591
E-mail: bradswope@psu.edu