Polymerization of Diphenylbutadiyne by Gamma Rays Irradiation in the Molten State

Abstract

Diphenylbutadiyne was irradiated with Gamma ray in the molten state (90°C), and its polymerization process was studied. The amorphous product has a number average molecular weight of around 1300. The yield reached around 20% with a dose of 3000 kGy, which is far greater than that in the case of irradiation in the solid state at room temperature. From the number of spins and molecular weights the product is thought to be mainly composed of cyclic oligomers. The third order nonlinear optical susceptibility of the products was found to be 3–6 × 10⁻¹⁰ esu determined by the Z-scan technique.

Keywords:

• Diphenylbutadiyne
• Gamma-irradiation
• oligomerization
• Z-scan

Acknowledgments

This work is part of the project supported by CONACYT (Consejo Nacional de Ciencias y Tecnologia) under the contract No. 49849 R. Thanks are also due to Ms. Leticia Baños, Mr. Salvador Lopez, and Mr. Gerardo Cedillo for their assistance in X-ray diffraction, molecular weight determination and NMR spectroscopy, respectively.