Abstract
p-(2,2,3,3-Tetracyanocyclopropyl)phenyl acrylate (3a) and p-(2,2,3,3-tetracyanocyclopropyl)phenyl methacrylate (3b) were prepared by the reactions of bromomalononitrile with p-acryloyloxybenzylidenemalononitrile (2a) or p-methacryloyloxy-benzylidenemalononitrile (2b), respectively. Compounds 3a and 3b were polymerized with free radical initiators to obtain the polymers with multicyano functionalities in the cyclopropane ring. The resulting polymer 4a was soluble in acetone but the polymer 4b was not soluble in common solvents. The inherent viscosities of polymers 4a were in the range of 0.10-0.15 dL/g in acetone and those of 4b were in the range of 0.20-0.30 dL/g in 98% sulfuric acid. Solution-cast films were cloudy and brittle, showing $T_g$ values in the range of 106-125$^{\circ}$C.