The present disclosure is directed to methods of making a polymer, including exposing a reaction mixture including a strained cyclic unsaturated monomer and an organic initiator to a stimulus to provide an activated organic initiator, whereby the activated organic initiator is effective to polymerize the strained cyclic unsaturated monomer via a 4-membered carbocyclic intermediate to provide a polymer having constitutional units derived from the strained cyclic unsaturated monomer.

Proposed is a composition for a thick hard mask suitable for use in a semiconductor lithography process, and particularly a spin-on carbon hard mask composition and a patterning method of forming a hard mask layer by applying the composition on an etching target layer through spin coating and baking the composition. The composition has high solubility characteristics, thereby enabling the formation of a thick hard mask which can exhibit high etching resistance to tolerate multiple etching processes and excellent mechanical properties.

An object is to provide a cured product having excellent heat resistance and dielectric properties (low dielectric properties) and prepregs, circuit boards, build-up films, semiconductor sealing materials, and semiconductor devices having these pieces of performance by using a curable resin having a specific structure. Specifically, provided is a curable resin having a structural unit (1) represented by General Formula (1) below and a terminal structure (2) represented by General Formula (2) below. In Formulae (1) and (2) above, the details of R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, k, and X are as described herein.

##STR00001##

Disclosed herein in various embodiments are aryl-ether free polyaromatic polymers based on random copolymer architecture with two, three, or more aromatic ring components and methods of preparing those polymers. The polymers of the present disclosure can be used as ion exchange membranes, e.g., as anion exchange membranes, and ionomer binders in alkaline electrochemical devices.

Polybenzoxazine comprises repeat units which comprise at least one unit corresponding to the formulae (I) or (II): ##STR00001##
in which Z.sub.1 and Z.sub.2, which are identical or different, represent an at least divalent, aliphatic, cycloaliphatic or aromatic bonding group comprising at least one carbon atom and optionally at least one heteroatom selected from O, S, N and P. Such a polybenzoxazine may be used as a metal-adhesive layer, in particular for the adhesive bonding of a metal substrate, in particular made of carbon steel, to a rubber.

Elastic Parylene films produced via chemical vapor deposition polymerization (CVDP) on a substrate are disclosed.

The present invention relates to n-type conjugated polymers and blends, which is made from aromatic diketone with active methylene or an enolic transformation product thereof, and is obtained directly by polymerization reaction in the presence of an oxidant. The reaction described does not require precious metal catalysis and is insensitive to a reaction atmosphere. A process is simple and inexpensive and suitable for commercial applications. Meanwhile, the modulation of the conductivity of the n-type conjugated polymers can be achieved by ionic modification. The n-type conjugated polymers can be applied to an organic optoelectronic device to achieve an excellent photovoltaic effect.

To provide a curable resin composition of which a cured product has excellent heat-resistance and dielectric properties, and a cured product thereof, and a prepreg, a circuit board, a build-up film, a semiconductor sealing material, and a semiconductor apparatus having both excellent heat resistance and dielectric properties. The invention has an indane scaffold represented by the following general formula (1):

##STR00001##

in formula (1), Ra's are each independently an alkyl group, an alkyloxy group or an alkylthio group, which has 1 to 10 carbon atoms, an aryl group, an aryloxy group or an arylthio group, which has 6 to 10 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl group having 3 to 10 carbon atoms, a halogen atom, a nitro group, a hydroxyl group, or a mercapto group, and q represents an integer value of 0 to 4.

Elastic Parylene films produced via chemical vapor deposition polymerization (CVDP) on a substrate are disclosed.

The present invention refers to a radiation-curable composition comprising or consisting of A) at least one photo-base generator, which can generate a super base; B) (macro)monomers which are able to undergo an anionic polymerization via Michael addition comprising or consisting of B1) at least one (macro)monomer having at least one Michael donor group and at least one Michael acceptor group; and/or B2) at least one (macro)monomer having at least two Michael donor groups and at least one (macro)monomer having at least two Michael acceptor groups; C) optionally at least one polyethylenimine; D) optionally at least one additive.

Furthermore, the present invention pertains to an adhesive, sealant or coating obtainable by radiation-curing the radiation-curable composition according to the present invention and a method of radiation-curing the radiation-curable composition according to the present invention, comprising the steps: providing a radiation-curable composition according to the present invention and exposing the radiation-curable composition to radiation, for 10 seconds to 5 minutes. The radiation-curable compositions of the present invention do not require that irradiation is continuously applied until the curing is completed. Once the curing of the compositions is initiated, they are able to continue to cure in parts of the compositions which are in the dark/shadow.