In: Chemistry
Polymers can exhibit various mechanical, electrical, and
optical properties depending on the synthesis conditions and
chemical properties of the backbone . If a polymer is
exposed to ultraviolet light, its chemical properties, such
as
solubility, of the polymer in the exposed area are changed.
Photolithography, which is a well-known process in electron-
ics, uses this principle .
Polymers are used in an amazing number of applications.
More recently, significant developments have occurred in
the area of flexible electronic devices based on the useful
piezoelectric, semiconducting, optical, and electrooptical
properties seen in some polymers .
Polymeric materials have special interest because, in com-
bination with suitable metal salts, they give complexes which
are useful for the development of advanced high energy
electrochemical devices, for example, batteries, fuel cells,
electrochemical display devices, and photo electrochemical
cells with ease of fabrication into desirable sizes .Also
polymers have unique properties such as light weight, high
flexibility, and ability to be fabricated at low temperature
and low cost . Optical communications, including polymer
optical fibers, optical waveguides, and optical connectors
due
to their ease of process, relatively low cost, and mass
produc-
tion, are compared to silica-based optical materials.They
also
have potential advantages for applications in optical storage
systems, such as high thermal stability, low absorption loss,
and the ability of refractive index changing upon exposure
to light.