Modification of polymer surfaces and molecular immobilization by photoreaction

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION To obviate disadvantages associated with the modification methods presently existing, the object of the present invention is to provide a method for modifying the surface of a polymer, especially a method for photochemical immobilization of molecules to polystyrene or other plastic materials.
The invention is based on the surprising finding that a number of well-known photoreactive polycyclic compounds are firmly bound to a variety of polymer surfaces if they are exposed to electromagnetic radiation under suitable conditions.
Accordingly, in its broadest aspect, the invention relates to a method for modifying the surface of a solid polymer wherein the polymer surface is exposed to an aqueous solution containing a compound of the general formula I ##STR1## in which A is --O--, --S--, --Se--, >NH, >NR.
sup.
1, --NH--O--, --N.
dbd.
N--, >S.
sup.
+ R.
sup.
1, --S--O--, >Se.
sup.
+ R.
sup.
1, --CO--O--, --CO--S--, --CS--O--, --CS--S--, --CSe--O--, --CO--Se--, --CS--NH--, --CO--NH--, --CO--N(R.
sup.
1)--, >P.
dbd.
O or --P(.
dbd.
O)(O.
sup.
--)--; R.
sup.
1 is hydrocarbyl or hydrocarbyloxy, any of which may be substituted with NO, NO.
sub.
2, SO.
sub.
3, CN, OH, .
dbd.
O, SH, SeH, PO.
sub.
3.
sup.
----, PO.
sub.
2.
sup.
--, COO.
sup.
--, halogen epoxide, NH.
sub.
2, NHR", NR'R", wherein R" is hydrocarbyl or hydrocarbyloxy having 1-30 carbon atoms.
R.
sup.
2, R.
sup.
3, R.
sup.
4, and R.
sup.
5, which may be the same or different are H, halogen, NO, NO.
sub.
2, SO.
sub.
3, CN, OH, .
dbd.
O, SH, SeH, PO.
sub.
3.
sup.
----, PO.
sub.
2.
sup.
--, COO.
sup.
--, epoxide, NH.
sub.
2 , NHR", NHR", --NR"R" or heterocyclyl having 1-10 carbon atoms, or has the same meaning as defined for R.
sup.
1.
X and Y, which may be the same or different, have the same meaning as defined for R.
sup.
2 -R.
sup.
5, or X and Y are adjacent to one another and together form a group with the formula --CR.
sub.
6 .
dbd.
CR.
sub.
7 --A'-- where A' has the same meaning as defined for A above, and R.
sup.
6 and R.
sup.
7, which may be the same or different, have the same meaning as defined for R