The physical chemistry of crosslinking photopolymers

Research Division, Kodak Limited, Harrow, Middlesex, England HA 1 4TY, England.

Abstract

Crosslinking photopolymers which are insolubilized on exposure to actinic radiation are the basis of a whole class of photographic systems. The physical chemistry of the photo-insolubilization process is considered from the point of view of Flory's theory of gelation and a photographic theory of crosslinking systems is proposed which describes their performance in terms of the weight average molecular weight and the molecular weight distribution of the polymer, the optical properties of the light absorling species and the quantum yield of the crosslinking reaction. The factors which determine crosslinking efficiency in several representative crosslink forming processes are investigated, and the prospects and limitations of polymer photography are considered.