Polyionic polymeric compounds, process of preparing same and use thereof as photoinitiators

Abstract

Polymer or oligomer ionic compound made of a polycationic part (A.sup.+).sub.p comprising a plurality of onium units and a sufficient number of anions X.sup.- to provide electrical neutrality to the compound, characterized in that the onium units are selected from the group consisting of biaryliodonium, arylsulfonium, arylacylsulfonium, diazonium, organometallic cations comprising a transition metal which is complexed by at least one unsaturated cycle comprising 4 to 12 carbon atoms; X.sup.- is an imide anion [R.sub.F SO.sub.2 NSO.sub.2 R'.sub.F ].sup.- or a methylide anion [R.sub.F SO.sub.2 C(Q)SO.sub.2 R'.sub.F ].sup.- in which: 1) Q represents: H--, Cl--, F--, Br--or CN--; an alkyl radical having 1 to 30 carbon atoms; an aryl, alkylaryl or arylakyl radical having 6 to 30 carbon atoms; a group R".sub.F or a group R".sub.F SO.sub.2 ; 2) R.sub.F and R'.sub.F, as well as R".sub.F possibly when X.sup.- is a methylide anion, are independently selected from the group consisting of fluorine, perhaloalkyl groups having 1 to 30 carbon atoms, (perhaloalkyl)alkyloxy groups, perhalogenated cycloaliphatic groups having 3 to 30 carbon atoms possibly containing hetero atoms selected from O and N, and/or possibly comprising at least one perhaloalkyl chain, the perhalogenated aryl having 6 to 30 carbon atoms; or 3) R.sub.F and R'.sub.F together form a bivalent radical constituting a cycle respectively with group --SO.sub.2 --N--SO.sub.2 -- or with group --SO.sub.2 --C(Q)--SO.sub.2 --, or when X.sup.- is a methylide anion, R".sub.F constitutes with one of the radicals R.sub.F or R'.sub.F a bivalent radical constituting a cycle respectively with group --SO.sub.2 --C--SO.sub.2 -- or group --SO.sub.2 --C--, said bivalent radical being selected from perfluorinated alkylene radicals having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, the third radical which is possibly present being selected from the monovalent radicals mentioned above in 2); 4) p represents the number of onium units. These compounds are useful as photoinitiators for cationic polymerization or cross-linking of monomers or for the modification of polymers for example when they are used as photoresists. The preparation of these compounds is also disclosed.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.