Photophysical processes and photochemical reactions involved in poly( N-vinylcarbazole) and in copolymers with carbazole units

This paper is devoted to the analysis of the photochemical behaviour of copolymers with carbazole units exposed to long-wavelength radiation. These copolymers are constituted of two types of carbazolylethyl methacrylate units (CEM) with octyl methacrylate moieties (OMA). The exposure of copolymers and PVK to UV light results in dramatic modifications of the physical and photophysical properties of the polymer. These modifications can be correlated with modifications of the chemical structure of the matrix. The photoageing of copolymers and PVK has been analysed by fluorescence, ESR, UV–vis and infrared spectroscopies. The effects of crosslinking and chain scissions were determined by gel fraction measurements and size exclusion chromatography.