Novel Photochromic Homopolymers Based on 1,2-Bis(3-thienyl)cyclopentenes

Incorporation of photochromic molecules into polymer matrices is necessary for materials applications such as optical information processing. Several novel homopolymers were prepared from 1,2-bis(3-thienyl)cyclopentene derivatives using ring-opening metathesis polymerization techniques. Analysis by UV−vis absorption spectroscopy revealed that, in solution, they retained the appealing photochromic behavior exhibited by their respective monomers. The polymers were cast as thin films and spin-coated onto quartz substrates where the solid-state photochromic properties of the polymers were similar to those in solution.