The Photochromic Properties
of Indoline SpirooxazineThermoplastic Polymer Systems Obtained
by Supercritical Fluid Impregnation

N. N. Glagolev^a, A. B. Solov’eva^a, A. V. Kotova^a, V. T. Shashkova^a, B. I. Zapadinskii^a,
N. L. Zaichenko^a, L. S. Kol’tsova^a, A. I. Shienok^a, P. S. Timashev^b, and V. N. Bagratashvili^b

^a Semenov Institute of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

^b Institute of Problems in Laser and Information Technologies, Troitsk, Moscow oblast, Russia

e-mail: bagrat@laser.ru, anna@polymer.chph.ras.ru

Received February 20, 2008

Abstract—The impregnation of thermoplastic polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene, polymethyl methacry-
late, and polycarbonate) with photochromic compounds from the class of indoline spirooxazines in supercriti-
cal carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂) was studied. The concentration of the photochrome and the kinetics of decolori-
zation of its colored form depended strongly on the type of the polymer matrix and the structure of spiroox-
azine. The introduction of 1,3',3'-trimethylspiro(indoline-2',3-3H-anthraceno[2,1-b][1,4]oxazine) (SAO) into
polycarbonate caused anomalous stabilization (the prolonged conservation of the excited colored form of SAO
in the polymer matrix). In contrast to other photochrome–polymer pairs, after supercritical impregnation into
polycarbonate, at least 10% of all SAO molecules were in the colored form, which was highly stable and did
not decolorize after 150 days; the rest of the impregnated SAO molecules were localized in the matrix as indi-
vidual molecules, partially colorized after matrix relaxation, or nanocrystals of characteristic sizes ~10–20 nm.
The mechanisms of the anomalous stabilization of the colored SAO form in the polycarbonate matrix are dis-
cussed.

DOI: 10.1134/S0036024409050318

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