Perfluorocyclobutyl-based polymers for functional materials

Abstract

Perfluorocyclobutyl (PFCB)-based polymers exhibit attractive properties, including good thermal and chemical stability, high hydrophobicity and transparency, and good insulating properties. The excellent properties of these polymers have attracted extensive attention from both industry and academia. These polymers can be synthesized through molecular design and used as high-performance optical materials, proton exchange membranes, and dielectric materials. In particular, PFCB-based polymers having very low dielectric constants (D_k) and dielectric losses (D_f) derived from monomers containing thermally cross-linkable trifluorovinyl ether (TFVE) groups have been developed. On the basis of their good dielectric properties, the new PFCB-based polymers have potential application in upcoming high-frequency communication (5G or higher frequencies). This contribution summarizes the new developments of PFCB-polymers, emphasizing the progress in the design and synthesis of new multi-functional TFVE-based monomers during the past five years.