Effect of Ring Functionalization on the Reaction Temperature of Benzocyclobutene Thermoset Polymers

The temperature required to induce cross-linking in typical benzocyclobutene-based thermosets is near 250 degrees C, which exceeds the use temperature of many chemical components. A new and versatile synthesis of BCB-functionalized monomers has allowed access to monomers that can be incorporated into a variety of macromolecular platforms to enable significantly reduced cure temperatures. Incorporation of BCB-functionalized comonomers in polystyrene and polynorbornene enabled insolublization of thin films by curing at only 120 degrees C for 1 h.