Preparation of a spirooxazine grafted PMMA and its photochromic properties

A novel spirooxazine (SO) compound was designed and synthesized. Macromolecular materials, called SO-g-hPMMAs (where the g means grafting and the h means partial hydrolysis), were prepared using PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) with different degrees of hydrolysis. SO-g-5%hPMMA was prepared by reacting SO-containing active C-Br bonds with 5% partially hydrolyzed PMMA. The SO was characterized using 1H NMR and infrared. Beyond that, photochromic properties were studied in detail. We discuss the effects of hydrochloric acids and hPMMAs of different hydrolysis degrees on photochromic properties of SO-g-hPMMA. Additionally, mechanical properties of the material were studied. Results indicate that the colored ring-opening form (PMC) of SO-g-hPMMA exhibits a good performance in terms of thermal stability, in contrast to the homologous SO. Experiments additionally demonstrate that hydrochloric acid improves the PMC's thermal stability. SO-g-9%hPMMA demonstrated a good performance of photochromic properties compared to those with different degrees of hydrolysis.