Photoactive polymer materials

Polymer material which comprises repeating units of formula (I):

• wherein
• M1 is a monomer unit selected from the group consisting of acrylate, methacrylate, 2-chloroacrylate, 2-phenylacrylate, acrylamide, methacrylamide, 2-chloroacrylamide, 2-phenylacrylamide, N-lower alkyl substituted acrylamide, N-lower alkyl substituted methacrylamide, N-lower alkyl substituted 2-chloroacrylamide, N-lower alkyl substituted 2-phenylacrylamide, vinyl ether, vinyl ester, styrene, siloxane, diamine, amide, imide, siloxane, amic ester, amic acid;
• ring A is unsubstituted phenylene, phenylene which is substituted with fluorine, chlorine, cyano, alkyl or alkoxy, pyridine-2,5-diyl, pyrimidine-2,5-diyl, 1,3-dioxane-2,5-diyl, cyclohexane-1,4-diyl, piperidine-1,4-diyl, or piperazine-1,4-diyl;
• ring B is unsubstituted phenylene, phenylene which is substituted with fluorine, chlorine, cyano, alkyl or alkoxy, pyridine-2,5-diyl, pyrimidine-2,5-diyl, 1,4-naphthylene, 2,6-naphthylene, 1,3-dioxane-2,5-diyl, or cyclohexane-1,4-diyl;
• Y1, Y2 each independently is a single covalent bond, —(CH2)t—, —O—, —CO—, —CO—O—, —O—OC—, —NR4—, —CO—NR4—, —R4N—CO—, —(CH2)u—O—, —O—(CH2)u—, —CF2O—, —OCF2—, —(CH2)u—NR4—, or —NR4—(CH2)u—, in which
• R4 is hydrogen or lower alkyl;
• t is a whole number from 1 to 4;
• u is a whole number from 1 to 3;
• m, n each independently is 0 or 1;
• ring C is unsubstituted phenylene, phenylene which is substituted with fluorine, chlorine, cyano, alkyl or alkoxy, pyrimidine-2,5-diyl, pyridine-2,5-diyl, 2,5-thiophenylene, 2,5-furanylene, 1,4-naphthylene, or 2,6-naphthylene;
• S1 is a spacer unit, wherein if m and n are 0 then the spacer unit is S2, and if at least one m or n is 1, then the spacer unit is S3;
• wherein S2 is C4-C24alkylene and S3 is C9-C24alkylene, preferably is C10-C24alkylene, and wherein alkylene is unsubstituted or substituted, straight-chain or branched alkylene, in which one or more —CH2— groups may be replaced by at least one linking group, alicyclic or/and aromatic group,
• Z is —O— or —NR5—, in which R5 is hydrogen or lower alkyl, or a second group of formula D, in which
• D is hydrogen or an unsubstituted C1-C20 straight-chain alkylene group, an unsubstituted C1-C20 branched-chain alkylene group, a C1-C20 straight-chain alkylene group substituted with fluorine or chlorine, a branched-chain C1-C20 alkylene group substituted with fluorine or chlorine, an unsubstituted cycloalkyl residue with 3 to 8 ring atoms, or a cycloalkyl residue with 3 to 8 ring atoms substituted with fluorine, chlorine, alkyl or alkoxy.