Polyesters by photochemical cyclopolymerization

Polyesters derived from the photochemical cyclopolymerization of approximately stoichiometric amounts of at least one

• (a) aromatic diketone selected from the group consisting of
• wherein Ar is the same or a different aromatic or substituted aromatic radical and R is the same or a different radical selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, aromatic radicals, lower alkyl radicals of 1 to 8 carbons, O2CR1 and —OR2 radicals wherein R1 and R2 are the same or different radicals selected from the group consisting of lower alkyl radicals of 1 to 8 carbons, and aryl radicals, and X is selected from the group consisting of nil, oxygen, sulfur, —C═O, —CH2, alkyl radicals of 1 to 8 carbons, ether radicals, and aryl radicals with at least one
• (b) dienophile selected from the group consisting of di(acrylates), tri(acrylates), di(methacrylates), tri(methacrylates) and mixtures thereof in any molar ratio with at least one monoacrylate wherein the monoacrylates comprise from 0 to about 25 molar percent of the mixture to obtain polyesters having glass transitions (Tg) ranging up to about 200° C., high thermal-oxidative stability and decomposition stability temperatures as high as 300° C.

A process of preparing polyesters by photochemically cyclopolymerizing at ambient temperatures approximately stoichiometric amounts of at least one

• (a) aromatic diketone selected from the group consisting of
• wherein Ar is the same or a different aromatic or substituted aromatic radical and R is the same or a different radical selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, aromatic radicals, lower alkyl radicals of 1 to 8 carbons, O2CR1 and —OR2 radicals wherein R1 and R2 are the same or different radicals selected from the group consisting of lower alkyl radicals of 1 to 8 carbons, and aryl radicals, and X is selected from the group consisting of nil, oxygen, sulfur, —C═O, —CH2, alkyl radicals of 1 to 8 carbons, ether radicals, ester radicals, and aryl radicals with at least one
• (b) dienophile selected from the group consisting of di(acrylates), tri(acrylates), di(methacrylates) tri(methacrylates) and a mixture thereof in any molar ratio with at least one monoacrylate wherein the monoacrylate ranges from 0 to about 25 molar percent of the mixture to obtain polyacrylates having glass transition temperatures (Tg) ranging up to about 200° C., high thermal oxidative stability and decomposition-stability temperatures ranging up to about 300° C.