A positive resist composition is provided comprising a base polymer comprising repeat units having a carboxy group whose hydrogen is substituted by a nitrobenzene ring-containing tertiary hydrocarbyl group. The resist composition has a high sensitivity and resolution and forms a pattern of good profile with reduced edge roughness and size variation after exposure.

An impact-modified composition and a method of making an impact-modified composition are provided. In an embodiment, the method includes reacting a phosphazene material with an acrylamide material to form a functionalized phosphazene material; initiating a polymerization reaction on a reaction mixture comprising the functionalized phosphazene material and one or more monomers to form an impact-modified phosphazene material; and adding the an impact-modified phosphazene material to a polymeric material.

An impact-modified composition and a method of making an impact-modified composition are provided. In an embodiment, the method includes reacting a phosphazene material with an acrylamide material to form a functionalized phosphazene material; initiating a polymerization reaction on a reaction mixture comprising the functionalized phosphazene material and one or more monomers to form an impact-modified phosphazene material; and adding the an impact-modified phosphazene material to a polymeric material.

A copolymer useful as an ingredient of a colored resin composition, comprising a structural unit derived from an aromatic carboxylic acid having an ethylenically unsaturated bond, a structural unit (Ab) represented by formula (Z), and a structural unit (Ac) derived from an unsaturated compound having a cyclic ether structure having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, wherein L represents a single bond or a divalent linking group, A represents a phenyl group optionally having a substituent other than a carboxy group or a naphthyl group optionally having a substituent other than a carboxy group, R.sup.a represents a hydrogen atom, or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and a hydrogen atom contained in the alkyl group is optionally replaced by a hydroxy group. ##STR00001##

A copolymer useful as an ingredient of a colored resin composition, comprising a structural unit derived from an aromatic carboxylic acid having an ethylenically unsaturated bond, a structural unit (Ab) represented by formula (Z), and a structural unit (Ac) derived from an unsaturated compound having a cyclic ether structure having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, wherein L represents a single bond or a divalent linking group, A represents a phenyl group optionally having a substituent other than a carboxy group or a naphthyl group optionally having a substituent other than a carboxy group, R.sup.a represents a hydrogen atom, or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and a hydrogen atom contained in the alkyl group is optionally replaced by a hydroxy group. ##STR00001##

A modified conjugated diene-based polymer and a rubber composition including the same are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the modified conjugated diene-based polymer includes a functional group derived from a modification monomer represented by Formula 1 and a functional group derived from a modifier, and the polymer has a unimodal molecular weight distribution, and a polydispersity index of 1.0 to less than 1.7. The polymer has excellent processability, tensile properties and viscoelasticity properties.

A modified conjugated diene-based polymer and a rubber composition including the same are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the modified conjugated diene-based polymer includes a functional group derived from a modification monomer represented by Formula 1 and a functional group derived from a modifier, and the polymer has a unimodal molecular weight distribution, and a polydispersity index of 1.0 to less than 1.7. The polymer has excellent processability, tensile properties and viscoelasticity properties.

The present invention is a resist composition comprises a polymer compound having one or two repeating units selected from repeating units represented by the following general formulae (p-1), (p-2) and (p-3), a repeating unit represented by the following formula (a-1) and the formula (a-2) polarities of which are changed by an action of an acid, and a repeating unit represented by the following formula (b-1); a salt represented by the following general formula (B); and a solvent, wherein a difference of a C log P of the repeating unit (a-1) before and after changing the polarity is 3.0 to 4.5, and a difference of a C log P of the repeating unit (a-2) before and after changing the polarity is 2.5 to 3.2. This provides a resist composition which has high sensitivity, wide DOF and high resolution, reduces LER, LWR and CDU, and has good pattern shape after exposure and excellent etching resistance. ##STR00001##

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel method of producing a nonpolar olefin polymer (e.g., a copolymer of a nonpolar olefin and a polar olefin). The present invention provides a method of producing a polar olefin polymer or copolymer, the method including the polymerization step of polymerizing a polar olefin monomer using, as a catalyst, a polymerization catalyst composition containing: 1) a metallocene complex represented by Formula (I), which contains a central metal M that is scandium (Sc) or yttrium (Y), a ligand Cp* containing a cyclopentadienyl derivative and being bound to the central metal, monoanionic ligands Q.sup.1 and Q.sup.2, and W neutral Lewis bases L wherein W is an integer of 0 to 3; and 2) an ionic compound composed of a non-coordinating anion and a cation. ##STR00001## ##STR00002##

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel method of producing a nonpolar olefin polymer (e.g., a copolymer of a nonpolar olefin and a polar olefin). The present invention provides a method of producing a polar olefin polymer or copolymer, the method including the polymerization step of polymerizing a polar olefin monomer using, as a catalyst, a polymerization catalyst composition containing: 1) a metallocene complex represented by Formula (I), which contains a central metal M that is scandium (Sc) or yttrium (Y), a ligand Cp* containing a cyclopentadienyl derivative and being bound to the central metal, monoanionic ligands Q.sup.1 and Q.sup.2, and W neutral Lewis bases L wherein W is an integer of 0 to 3; and 2) an ionic compound composed of a non-coordinating anion and a cation. ##STR00001## ##STR00002##