PHTHALOCYANINE POLYMER AND ITS SYNTHESIS

摘要

PURPOSE:To obtain the titled polymer excellent in moldability and useful as a photosensitive layer or a carrier-forming layer in electrophotography, a photorecording layer of a photorecording medium or the like, by polymerizing a specified phthalocyanine compound. CONSTITUTION:Thionyl chloride is added to a phthalocyanine having 2, 4 or 8 carboxyl groups on the benzene rings and the mixture is refluxed. The formed precipitate is filtered and washed with petroleum ether or the like. To the obtained acid chloride is added a compound of formula I (wherein R is H or a lower alkyl and L is an alkylene) and the mixture is reacted by heating. The reaction mixture is centrifuged and water is added to the supernatant liquid to obtain a phthalocyanine compound of formula II (wherein Pc is a phthalocyanine residue). This phthalocyanine compound and, optionally, a vinyl monomer (e.g., styrene) are polymerized at 40-60 deg.C for 1-7 days in an inert atmosphere in the presence of a polymerization initiator (e.g., azobisisobutyronitrile) and a solvent to obtain a phthalocyanine polymer of an average number MW =10,000, having structural units of formula III.