Polymerized cycloolefins using transition metal catalyst and end products thereof

• US 20040048994A1
• Filed: 06/18/2003
• Published: 03/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Promerus, LLC (Sumitomo Bakelite Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Promerus, LLC (Sumitomo Bakelite Company Limited)
• Inventors: Ravikiran, R., Bell, Andrew, Jayaraman, Saikumar, Lipian, John-Henry, Rhodes, Larry Funderburk, Goodall, Brian Leslie, Fondran, John C., Mimna, Richard A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,910,674 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 526/171
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 32/00 Homopolymers and copolymers of cyclic compounds having no unsaturated aliphatic radicals in a side chain, and having one or more carbon-to-carbon double bonds in a carbocyclic ring system
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 32/08 having two condensed rings coumarone-indene polymers C08F244/00
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 61/06 prepared by ring-opening of carbocyclic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 65/00 Compositions of macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions forming a carbon-to-carbon link in the main chain C08L7/00 - C08L57/00, C08L61/00 take precedence; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/04 made of organic materials, e.g. plastics G02B1/08 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods for the addition polymerization of cycloolefins using a cationic Group 10 metal complex and a weakly coordinating anion of the formula:

[(R^′)_zM(L^′)_x(L^″)_y]_b [WCA]_d

wherein [(R^′)_zM(L^′)_x(L^″)_y] is a cation complex where M represents a Group 10 transition metal; R′ represents an anionic hydrocarbyl containing ligand; L^′ represents a Group 15 neutral electron donor ligand; L^″ represents a labile neutral electron donor ligand; x is 1 or 2; and y is 0, 1, 2, or 3; and z is 0 or 1, wherein the sum of x, y, and z is 4; and [WCA] represents a weakly coordinating counteranion complex; and b and d are numbers representing the number of times the cation complex and weakly coordinating counteranion complex are taken to balance the electronic charge on the overall catalyst complex.

Claims

1. An article, comprising:

an optical layer comprising an optical polymer containing polycyclic repeating units, said optical polymer obtained by polymerizing at least one polycycloolefin monomer in the presence of a high activity Group 10 transition metal catalyst complex of the formula;

[(R^′

)_zM(L^′

)_x(L^″

)_y]_b [WCA]_d

to obtain a polymer product that contains 100 ppm or less of residual Group 10 transition metal prior to purification, wherein [(R^′

)_zM(L^′

)_x(L^″

)_y] is a cation complex where M represents a Group 10 transition metal;

R′

represents an anionic hydrocarbyl containing ligand;

L^′

represents a Group 15 neutral electron donor ligand;

L^″

represents a labile neutral electron donor ligand;

x is 1 or 2; and

y is 0, 1, 2, or 3; and

z is 0 or 1, wherein the sum of x, y, and z is 3 or 4;

[WCA] represents a weakly coordinating counteranion complex; and

b and d are numbers representing the number of times the cation complex and weakly coordinating counteranion complex are taken to balance the electronic charge on the overall catalyst complex.

2. The article according to claim 1, wherein said group 10 transition metal M is selected from palladium, platinum and nickel, and said Group 15 neutral electron donor ligand L′

is selected from amines, pyridines, arsines, stibines, and organophosphorus containing ligands, wherein said organophosphorus containing ligand is selected from a compound of the formula;

P(R^7ζ

)_g[X′

(R^7′

)_h]_3-g

wherein X′

is oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, or silicon;

g is 0, 1, 2, or 3;

h is 1, 2, or 3, with the proviso that when X′

is a silicon atom, h is 3, when X′

is an oxygen or sulfur atom h is 1, and when X∝

is a nitrogen atom, h is 2;

R^7′

is independently selected from hydrogen, linear and branched C₁-C₁₀ alkyl, C₅-C₁₀ cycloalkyl, linear and branched C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy, allyl, linear and branched C₂-C₁₀alkenyl, C₆-C₁₂ aryl, C₆-C₁₂ aryloxy, C₆-C₁₂ arylsulfides, C₇-C₁₈ aralkyl, cyclic ethers and thioethers, tri(linear and branched C₁-C₁₀ alkyl)silyl, tri(C₆-C₁₂ aryl)silyl, tri(linear and branched C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy)silyl, triaryloxysilyl, tri(linear and branched C₁-C₁₀ alkyl)siloxy, and tri(C₆-C₁₂ aryl)siloxy, wherein each of the foregoing substituents can be optionally substituted with linear or branched C₁-C₅ alkyl, linear or branched C₁-C₅ haloalkyl, C₁-C₅ alkoxy, halogen, and combinations thereof;

when g is 0 and X′

is oxygen, any two or 3 of R^7′

can be taken together with the oxygen atoms to which they are attached to form a cyclic moiety;

when g is 3 any two of R^7′

can be taken together with the phosphorus atom to which they are attached to represent a phosphacycle of the formula;

wherein R^7′

is as previously defined and h′

is an integer from 4 to 11, and wherein said weakly coordinating anion is a borate or aluminate of the formula;

[M′

(R^24′

)(R^25′

)(R^26′

)(R^27′

)]

wherein M′

is boron or aluminum and R^24′

, R^25′

, R^26′

, and R^27′

independently represent fluorine, linear and branched C₁-C_1-0 alkyl, linear and branched C₁-C_1-0 alkoxy, linear and branched C₃-C₅ haloalkenyl, linear and branched C₃-C₁₂ trialkylsiloxy, C₁₈-C₃₆ triarylsiloxy, substituted and unsubstituted C₆-C₃₀ aryl, and substituted and unsubstituted C₆-C₃₀ aryloxy groups wherein R^24′

to R^27′

can not simultaneously represent alkoxy or aryloxy groups.

3. The article according to claim 2, wherein said polycycloolefin monomer is a blend of norbornene, or an alkyl norbornene wherein said alkyl group has from 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, or combinations thereof, and a trialkoxy silyl norbornene of the formula:

4. The article according to claim 1, wherein said article includes a light sensor and/or a light source and said optical polymer layer is in the optical path of said light sensor and/or light source.

5. The article according to claim 4, wherein said light sensor is for a camera, a telescope, a microscope, a bar code reader, an image scanner, a phone, a toy, an iris scanner, a retina scanner, a finger print scanner, or a personal digital assistant device, and

wherein said light source is for an automotive lighting system, a backlight source for a display, for a light bulb, for a traffic light, or for a general illumination device, and wherein said alkyl norbornene monomer is butyl norbornene, hexyl norbornene, or decyl norbornene, or combinations thereof, and

wherein said trialkoxy silyl norbornene is trimethoxy silyl norbornene, or triethoxy silyl norbornene, or combinations thereof.

6. The article of claim 4, where the light source is a light emitting diode.

7. The article of claim 5, where the light sensor and/or light source are for light in one or more of the ultra-violet, visible or infra-red light spectra.

8. An article comprising:

an optical layer comprising an optical polymer containing polycyclic repeating units, said optical polymer obtained by polymerizing at least one polycycloolefin monomer in the presence of a high activity Group 10 transition metal catalyst complex of the formula;

[(R^′

)_zM(L^′

)_x(L^″

)_y]_b [WCA]_d

to obtain a polymer product that contains 100 ppm or less of residual Group 10 transition metal prior to purification, wherein [(R^′

)_zM(L^′

)_x(L^″

)_y] is a cation complex where M represents a Group 10 transition metal;

R′

represents a ligand selected from the group consisting of R″

C(O)O, R″

C(O)CHC(O)R″

,R″

C(O)S, R″

C(S)O, R″

O, R″

₂N, and R″

₂P, wherein R″

represents hydrogen, linear and branched C₁-C₂₀ alkyl, C₅-C₁₀ cycloalkyl, linear and branched C₂-C₂₀ alkenyl, C₆-C₁₅ cycloalkenyl, allylic ligands or canonical forms thereof, C₆-C₃₀ aryl, C₆-C₃₀ heteroatom containing aryl, and C₇-C₃₀ aralkyl, wherein each of the foregoing radicals are optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of linear or branched C₁-C₅ alkyl, linear or branched C₁-C₅ haloalkyl, linear or branched C₂-C₅ alkenyl C₂-C₅ haloalkenyl, halogen, sulfur, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and phenyl, wherein said phenyl group is optionally substituted with linear or branched C₁-C₅ alkyl, linear or branched C₁-C₅ haloalkyl, and halogen;

L^′

represents a Group 15 neutral electron donor ligand;

L^″

represents a labile neutral electron donor ligand;

x is 1 or 2; and

y is 0, 1, 2, or 3; and

z is 0 or 1, wherein the sum of x, y, and z is 4;

[WCA] represents a weakly coordinating counteranion complex; and

b and d are numbers representing the number of times the cation complex and weakly coordinating counteranion complex are taken to balance the electronic charge on the overall catalyst complex.

9. The article according to claim 8, wherein said monomer has the formula:

10. The article according to claim 9, wherein said polycyclocolefin monomer is a blend of norbornene, or an alkyl norbornene wherein said alkyl group has from 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, or combinations thereof, and a trialkoxy silyl norbornene of the formula:

11. The article according to claim 8, wherein said article includes a light sensor and/or a light source and said optical polymer layer is in the optical path of said light sensor and/or light source.

12. The article according to claim 11, wherein said light sensor is for a camera, a telescope, a microscope, a bar code reader, an image scanner, a phone, a toy, an iris scanner, a retina scanner, a finger print scanner, or a personal digital assistant device, and

wherein said light source is for an automotive lighting system, a backlight source for a display, for a light bulb, for a traffic light, or for a general illumination device, and wherein said alkyl norbornene monomer is butyl norbornene, hexyl norbornene, or decyl norbornene, or combinations thereof, and

wherein said trialkoxy silyl norbornene is trimethoxy silyl norbornene, or triethoxy silyl norbornene, or combinations thereof.

13. The article of claim 11, where the light source is a light emitting diode.

14. The article of claim 12, where the light sensor and/or light source are for light in one or more of the ultra-violet, visible or infra-red light spectra.

15. An article, comprising:

an optical layer comprising an optical polymer containing a polycyclic repeating unit, said optical polymer derived by contacting a polycycloolefin monomer with a palladium metal complex of the formula [R^′

Pd(L′

)_yA′

], a WCA salt containing a Group 1 metal cation and a weakly coordinating counteranion, and an optional phosphine to obtain a polycyclic polymer product that contains 100 ppm or less of residual palladium metal prior to purification, wherein y is 1 or 2, R^′

represents linear and branched C₁-C₂₀ alkyl and C₆-C₃₀ haloaryl;

L^′

represents a diene; and

A^′

is a halogen group;

wherein said WCA is a selected from a borate.

16. The article according to claim 15, wherein said polycycloolefin is selected from a monomer(s) of the formula:

17. The article according to claim 16, wherein said polycycloolefin monomer is a blend of norbornene, or an alkyl norbornene wherein said alkyl group has from 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, or combinations thereof, and a trialkoxy silyl norbornene of the formula:

18. The article according to claim 15, wherein said article includes a light sensor and/or a light source and said optical polymer layer is in the optical path of said light sensor and/or light source.

19. The article according to claim 18, wherein said light sensor is for a camera, a telescope, a microscope, a bar code reader, an image scanner, a phone, a toy, an iris scanner, a retina scanner, a finger print scanner, or a personal digital assistant device, and

wherein said light source is for an automotive lighting system, a backlight source for a display, for a light bulb, for a traffic light, or for a general illumination device, and wherein said alkyl norbornene monomer is butyl norbornene, hexyl norbornene, or decyl norbornene, or combinations thereof, and

wherein said trialkoxy silyl norbornene is trimethoxy silyl norbornene, or triethoxy silyl norbornene, or combinations thereof.

20. The article of claim 18, where the light source is a light emitting diode.

21. The article of claim 19, where the light sensor and/or light source are for light in one or more of the ultra-violet, visible or infra-red light spectra.

22. An article, comprising:

an optical layer comprising an optical polymer containing polycyclic repeating unit, said optical polymer derived by contacting, in the substantial absence of a solvent, at least one polycycloolefin monomer with a Group 10 transition metal containing procatalyst complex of the formula [M(A′

)₂], a Group 15 neutral electron donor compound, and a weakly coordinating anion salt containing a cation complex and a weakly coordinating anion complex of the formula [C(L″

)_z″

]_b″

[WCA]_d″

, wherein M represents a Group 10 transition metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, platinum, and palladium;

A′

represents an anionic leaving group that can be displaced by said weakly coordinating anion complex;

C represents a cation selected from the group consisting of a proton, a Group 1 metal cation, a Group 2 metal cation, and an organic group containing cation;

WCA represents a weakly coordinating anion complex;

z″

is an integer from 0 to 8; and

b″ and

d″

represent the number of times the cation and anion complex of said weakly coordinating anion salt are taken to balance the charge on said salt.

23. The article according to claim 22, wherein said Group 15 neutral electron donor compound is selected from the group consisting of amines, pyridines, arsines, stibines and organophosphorus containing compounds.

24. The article according to claim 23, wherein said polycycloolefin monomer is a blend of norbornene, an alkyl norbornene wherein said alkyl group has from 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, or combinations thereof, and a trialkoxy silyl norbornene of the formula:

25. The article according to claim 22, wherein said article includes a light sensor and/or a light source and said optical polymer layer is in the optical path of said light sensor and/or light source.

26. The article according to claim 25, wherein said light sensor is for a camera, a telescope, a microscope, a bar code reader, an image scanner, a phone, a toy, an iris scanner, a retina scanner, a finger print scanner, or a personal digital assistant device, and

wherein said light source is for an automotive lighting system, a backlight source for a display, for a light bulb, for a traffic light, or for a general illumination device, and wherein said alkyl norbornene monomer is butyl norbornene, hexyl norbornene, or decyl norbornene, or combinations thereof, and

wherein said trialkoxy silyl norbornene is trimethoxy silyl norbornene, or triethoxy silyl norbornene, or combinations thereof.

27. The article of claim 25, where the light source is a light emitting diode.

28. The article of claim 27, where the light sensor and/or light source are for light in one or more of the ultra-violet, visible or infra-red light spectra.

29. An article, comprising:

an optical layer comprising an optical polymer containing polycyclic repeating unit, said optical polymer obtained by polymerizing at least one polycycloolefin monomer in the substantial absence of solvent in the presence of a Group 10 transition metal containing procatalyst complex of the formula;

[R′

M(L′

)_x(A′

)]

a weakly coordinating anion salt containing a cation complex and a weakly coordinating anion complex of the formula [C(L″

)_z″

]_b″

[WCA]_d″

, and an optional labile neutral electron donor compound, wherein M represents a Group 10 transition metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, platinum, and palladium;

R′

represents hydrogen or an allylic ligand;

L′

represents a Group 15 neutral electron donor ligand;

A′

represents an anionic leaving group that can be displaced by said weakly coordinating anion complex;

L″

represents a labile neutral electron donor ligand compound;

C represents a cation selected from the group consisting of a proton, a Group 1 metal cation, a Group 2 metal cation, and an organic group containing cation;

WCA represents a weakly coordinating anion complex;

x is 1 or 2;

z″

is an integer fro 0 to 8; and

b″ and

d″

represent the number of times the cation and anion complex of said weakly coordinating anion salt are taken to balance the charge on said salt.

30. The article according to claim 29, wherein said weakly coordinating anion salt is a salt of a borate or aluminate of the formula:

[C]_″

[M′

(R^24′

)(R^25′

)(R^26′

)(R^27′

)]_d″

wherein C represents a cation selected from the group consisting of a proton, a Group 1 metal cation, a Group 2 metal cation, and an organic group containing cation;

b″ and

d″

represent the number of times the cation and anion complex of said weakly coordinating anion salt are taken to balance the charge on said salt;

M′

is boron or aluminum and R^24′

, R^25′

, R^26′

, and R^27′

independently represent fluorine, linear and branched C₁-C₁₀ alkyl, linear and branched C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy, linear and branched C₃-C₅ haloalkenyl, linear and branched C₃-C₁₂ trialkylsiloxy, C₁₈-C₃₆ triarylsiloxy, substituted and unsubstituted C₆-C₃₀ aryl, and substituted and unsubstituted C₆-C₃₀ aryloxy groups wherein R^24′

to R^27′

can not simultaneously represent alkoxy or aryloxy groups, and

wherein said polycycloolefin is selected from a monomer(s) of the formula;

31. The article according to claim 30, wherein said polycycloolefin monomer is a blend of norbornene, or an alkyl norbornene wherein said alkyl group has from 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, or combinations thereof, and a trialkoxy silyl norbornene of the formula:

32. The article according to claim 29, wherein said article includes a light sensor and/or a light source and said optical polymer layer is in the optical path of said light sensor and/or light source.

33. The article according to claim 32, wherein said optical polymer layer being in the optical path includes said optical polymer layer residing on said light sensor and/or light source;

and

wherein said light sensor is for a camera, a telescope, a microscope, an infra-red monitor, a bar code reader, an image scanner, a phone, a toy, an iris scanner, a retina scanner, a finger print scanner, or a personal digital assistant device, and

wherein said light emitting diode is for an automotive lighting system, a backlight source for a display, for a light bulb, for a traffic light, or for a general illumination device, and

wherein said alkyl norbornene monomer is butyl norbornene, hexyl norbornene, or decyl norbornene, or combinations thereof, and

wherein said trialkoxy silyl norbornene is trimethoxy silyl norbornene, or triethoxy silyl norbornene, or combinations thereof.

34. The article of claim 32, where the light sensor and/or light source are for light in one or more of the ultra-violet, visible or infra-red spectra, and the light source is a light emitting diode.

35. An article comprising:

an optical polymer transmittable to light having a wave length of from about 100 to about 1,000 nanometers, said optical polymer containing polycylic repeating units and derived by contacting at least one polycycloolefin monomer with a high activity Group 10 transition metal catalyst complex of the formula;

[(R^′

)_zM(L^′

)_x(L^″

)_y]_b [WCA]_d

to obtain a polymer product that contains 100 ppm or less of residual Group 10 transition metal prior to purification, wherein [(R^′

)_zM(L^′

)_x(L^″

)_y] is a cation complex where M represents a Group 10 transition metal;

R′

represents an;

R′

represents a ligand selected from the group consisting of R″

C(O)O, R″

C(O)CHC(O)R″

, R″

C(O)S, R″

C(S)O, R″

O, R″

₂N, and R″

₂P, wherein R″

represents hydrogen, linear and branched C₁-C₂₀ alkyl, C₅-C₁₀ cycloalkyl, linear and branched C₂-C₂₀ alkenyl, C₆-C₁₅ cycloalkenyl, allylic ligands or canonical forms thereof, C₆-C₃₀ aryl, C₆-C₃₀ heteroatom containing aryl, and C₇-C₃₀ aralkyl, wherein each of the foregoing radicals are optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of linear or branched C₁-C₅ alkyl, linear or branched C₁-C₅ haloalkyl, linear or branched C₂-C₅ alkenyl C₂-C₅ haloalkenyl, halogen, sulfur, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and phenyl, wherein said phenyl group is optionally substituted with linear or branched C₁-C₅ alkyl, linear or branched C₁-C₅ haloalkyl, and halogen;

L^′

represents a Group 15 neutral electron donor ligand;

L^″

represents a labile neutral electron donor ligand;

x is 1 or 2; and

y is 0, 1, 2, or 3; and

z is 0 or 1, wherein the sum of x, y, and z is 4;

[WCA] represents a weakly coordinating counteranion complex; and

b and d are numbers representing the number of times the cation complex and weakly coordinating counteranion complex are taken to balance the electronic charge on the overall catalyst complex.

36. The article according to claim 35, wherein said article is an optical film, an ophthalmic lens, a wave guide, an optical fiber, a photosensitive optical film, a window, a high refractive index film, a laser optic layer, a color filter, an optical adhesive, and an optical connector, and combinations thereof.

37. The article according to claim 36, wherein said monomer has the formula:

38. The article according to claim 37, wherein said cycloolefin monomer is a blend of norbornene, or an alkyl norbornenes, wherein said alkyl group has from 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, or combinations thereof, and a trialkoxy silyl norbornene of the formula:

39. The article according to claim 38, wherein said alkyl norbornene monomer is butyl norbornene, hexyl norbornene, or decyl norbornene, or combinations thereof, and wherein said trialkoxy silyl norbornene is trimethoxy silyl norbornene, or triethoxy silyl norbornene, or combinations thereof.

40. An article comprising:

an optical polymer transmittable to light having a wave length of from about 100 to about 1,000 nanometers, said optical polymer containing polycyclic repeating units, said optical polymer obtained by polymerizing at least one polycycloolefin monomer in the presence of a high activity Group 10 transition metal catalyst complex of the formula;

[(R^′

)₂M(L^′

)_x(L^″

)_y]_b [WCA]_d

to obtain a polymer product that contains 100 ppm or less of residual Group 10 transition metal prior to purification, wherein [(R^′

)_zM(L^′

)_x(L^″

)_y] is a cation complex where M represents a Group 10 transition metal;

R′

represents an anionic hydrocarbyl containing ligand;

L^′

represents a Group 15 neutral electron donor ligand;

L^″

represents a labile neutral electron donor ligand;

x is 1 or 2; and

y is 0, 1, 2, or 3; and

z is 0 or 1, wherein the sum of x, y, and z is 3 or 4;

[WCA] represents a weakly coordinating counteranion complex; and

b and d are numbers representing the number of times the cation complex and weakly coordinating counteranion complex are taken to balance the electronic charge on the overall catalyst complex.

41. The article according to claim 40, wherein said article is an optical film, an ophthalmic lens, a wave guide, an optical fiber, a photosensitive optical film, a window, a high refractive index film, a laser optic layer, a color filter, an optical adhesive, or an optical connector, or combinations thereof.

42. The article according to claim 41, wherein said WCA is lithium(diethylether)_2.5 tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate.

43. The article according to claim 41;

wherein Group 10 transition metal M selected from palladium, platinum and nickel, and said Group 15 neutral electron donor ligand L^′

is selected from amines, pyridines, arsines, stibines, and organophosphorus containing ligands, wherein said organophosphorus containing ligand is selected from a compound of the formula;

P(R^′

)_g[X′

(R^7′

)_h]_3-g

wherein X′

is oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, or silicon;

g is 0, 1, 2, or 3;

h is 1, 2, or 3, with the proviso that when X′

is a silicon atom, h is 3, when X′

is an oxygen or sulfur atom h is 1, and when X′

is a nitrogen atom, h is 2;

R^7′

is independently selected from hydrogen, linear and branched C₁-C₁₀ alkyl, C₅-C₁₀ cycloalkyl, linear and branched C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy, allyl, linear and branched C₂-C₁₀ alkenyl, C₆-C₁₂ aryl, C₆-C₁₂ aryloxy, C₆-C₁₂ arylsulfides, C₇-C₁₈ aralkyl, cyclic ethers and thioethers, tri(linear and branched C₁-C₁₀ alkyl)silyl, tri(C₆-C₁₂ aryl)silyl, tri(linear and branched C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy)silyl, triaryloxysilyl, tri(linear and branched C₁-C₁₀alkyl)siloxy, and tri(C₆-C₁₂ aryl)siloxy, wherein each of the foregoing substituents can be optionally substituted with linear or branched C₁-C₅ alkyl, linear or branched C₁-C₅ haloalkyl, C₁-C₅ alkoxy, halogen, and combinations thereof;

when g is 0 and X′

is oxygen, any two or 3 of R^7′

can be taken together with the oxygen atoms to which they are attached to form a cyclic moiety;

when g is 3 any two of R^7′

can be taken together with the phosphorus atom to which they are attached to represent a phosphacycle of the formula;

44. The article according to claim 43, wherein said alkyl norbornene monomer is butyl norbornene, hexyl norbornene, or decyl norbornene, or combinations thereof, and wherein said trialkoxy silyl norbornene is trimethoxy silyl norbornene, or triethoxy silyl norbornene, or combinations thereof.

45. An article comprising;

a polymer transmittable to light having a wave length of from about 100 to about 1,000 nanometers, said polymer containing polycylic repeating units and derived by contacting at least one polycycloolefin monomer with a Group 10 transition metal containing procatalyst complex of the formula [M(A′

)₂], a Group 15 neutral electron donor compound, and a weakly coordinating anion salt containing a cation complex and a weakly coordinating anion complex of the formula [C(L″

)_z″

]_b″

[WCA]_d″

, wherein M represents a Group 10 transition metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, platinum, and palladium;

A′

represents an anionic leaving group that can be displaced by said weakly coordinating anion complex;

C represents a cation selected from the group consisting of a proton, a Group 1 metal cation, a Group 2 metal cation, and an organic group containing cation;

WCA represents a weakly coordinating anion complex;

z″

is an integer from 0 to 8; and

b″ and

d″

represent the number of times the cation and anion complex of said weakly coordinating anion salt are taken to balance the charge on said salt.

46. The article according to claim 45, wherein said article is an optical film, an ophthalmic lens, a wave guide, an optical fiber, a photosensitive optical film, a window, a high refractive index film, a laser optic layer, a color filter, an optical adhesive, or an optical connector, or combinations thereof.

47. The article according to 46, wherein said Group 15 neutral electron donor compound is selected from the group consisting of amines, pyridines, arsines, stibines and organophosphorus containing compounds.

48. The article according to claim 46, wherein said cycloolefin monomer is a blend of norbornene, or an alkyl norbornene wherein said alkyl group has from 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, or combinations thereof, and a trialkoxy silyl norbornene of the formula:

49. The article according to claim 48, wherein alkyl norbornene monomer is butyl norbornene, hexyl norbornene, or decyl norbornene, or combinations thereof, and wherein said formula is trimethoxy silyl norbornene, or triethoxy silyl norbornene, or combinations thereof.

50. An electronic device comprising:

a polymer component containing polycyclic repeating units, said polymer obtained by polymerizing at least one polycycloolefin monomer in the presence of a high activity Group 10 transition metal catalyst complex of the formula;

[(R^′

)_zM(L^′

)_x(L^″

)_y]_b [WCA]_d

to obtain a polymer product that contains 100 ppm or less of residual Group 10 transition metal prior to purification, wherein [(R^′

)_zM(L^′

)_x(L^″

)_y] is a cation complex where M represents a Group 10 transition metal;

R′

represents an anionic hydrocarbyl containing ligand;

L^′

represents a Group 15 neutral electron donor ligand;

L^″

represents a labile neutral electron donor ligand;

x is 1 or 2; and

y is 0, 1, 2, or 3; and

z is 0 or 1, wherein the sum of x, y, and z is 3 or 4;

[WCA] represents a weakly coordinating counteranion complex; and

b and d are numbers representing the number of times the cation complex and weakly coordinating counteranion complex are taken to balance the electronic charge on the overall catalyst complex.

51. The electronic device according to claim 50, wherein said polymer component is a dielectric film, a chip attach adhesive, an underfill adhesive, a chip encapsulant, a hermetic board coating, a chip protective coating, a flexible adhesive, a glob top, an embedded passive, a laminating adhesive, a capacitor dielectric, a high frequency insulator or connector, a high voltage insulator, a high temperature wire coating, a conductive adhesive, or a photosensitive adhesive or dielectric film, a resistor, an inductor, a capacitor, or a printed circuit board substrate.

52. The electronic device according to claim 51, wherein said polycycloolefin is selected from a monomer(s) of the formula:

53. The electronic device according to claim 52, wherein said monomer(s) selected are norbornene, or an alkyl norbornene wherein said alkyl group has from 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, or combinations thereof, said selected monomer(s) being blended with a trialkoxy silyl norbornene of the formula:

54. The electronic device according to claim 53, wherein alkyl norbornene monomer is butyl norbornene, hexyl norbornene, or decyl norbornene, or combinations thereof, and wherein said trialkoxy silyl norbornene is trimethoxy silyl norbornene, or triethoxy silyl norbornene, or combinations thereof.

55. An electronic device comprising:

a polymer component containing polycyclic repeating units, said polymer derived by contacting at least one polycycloolefin monomer with a Group 10 transition metal containing procatalyst complex of the formula [M(A′

)₂], a Group 15 neutral electron donor compound, and a weakly coordinating anion salt containing a cation complex and a weakly coordinating anion complex of the formula [C(L″

)_z″

]_b″

[WCA]_d″

, wherein M represents a Group 10 transition metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, platinum, and palladium;

A′

represents an anionic leaving group that can be displaced by said weakly coordinating anion complex;

C represents a cation selected from the group consisting of a proton, a Group 1 metal cation, a Group 2 metal cation, and an organic group containing cation;

WCA represents a weakly coordinating anion complex;

z″

is an integer from 0 to 8; and

b″ and

d″

represent the number of times the cation and anion complex of said weakly coordinating anion salt are taken to balance the charge on said salt.

56. The electronic device according to claim 55, wherein said polymer component is a dielectric film, a chip attach adhesive, an underfill adhesive, a chip encapsulant, a hermetic board coating, a chip protective coating, a flexible adhesive, a glob top, an embedded passive, a laminating adhesive, a capacitor dielectric, a high frequency insulator or connector, a high voltage insulator, a high temperature wire coating, a conductive adhesive, or a photosensitive adhesive or dielectric film, a resistor, an inductor, a capacitor, or a printed circuit board substrate.

57. The electronic device according to claim 56, wherein said Group 15 neutral electron donor compound is an amine, a pyridine, an arsine, a stibine, or an organo phosphorous compound, and, wherein said organic phosphorous compound has the formula:

P(R^7′

)_g [X′

(R^7′

)_h]_3-g

wherein X′

is oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, or silicon;

g is 0, 1, 2, or 3;

h is 1, 2, or 3, with the proviso that when X′

is a silicon atom, h is 3, when X′

is an oxygen or sulfur atom h is 1, and when X′

is a nitrogen atom, h is 2;

R^7′

is independently selected from hydrogen, linear and branched C₁-C₁₀alkyl, C₅-C₁₀ cycloalkyl, linear and branched C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy, allyl, linear and branched C₂-C₁₀ alkenyl, C₆-C₁₂ aryl, C₆-C₁₂ aryloxy, C₆-C₁₂ arylsulfides, C₇-C₁₈ aralkyl, cyclic ethers and thioethers, tri(linear and branched C₁-C₁₀ alkyl)silyl, tri(C₆-C₁₂ aryl)silyl, tri(linear and branched C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy)silyl, triaryloxysilyl, tri(linear and branched C₁-C₁₀ alkyl)siloxy, and tri(C₆-C₁₂ aryl)siloxy, wherein each of the foregoing substituents can be optionally substituted with linear or branched C₁-C₅ alkyl, linear or branched C₁-C₅ haloalkyl, C₁-C₅ alkoxy, halogen, and combinations thereof;

when g is 0 and X′

is oxygen, any two or 3 of R^7′

can be taken together with the oxygen atoms to which they are attached to form a cyclic moiety;

when g is 3 any two of R⁷ can be taken together with the phosphorus atom to which they are attached to represent a phosphacycle of the formula;

58. The electronic device according to claim 57, wherein said cycloolefin monomer is a blend of norbornene, or an alkyl norbornene wherein said alkyl group has from 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, or combinations thereof, and a trialkoxy silyl norbornene of the formula:

59. The electronic device according to claim 58, wherein norbornene monomer is butyl norbornene, hexyl norbornene, or decyl norbornene, or combinations thereof, and wherein said trialkoxy silyl norbornene is trimethoxy silyl norbornene, or triethoxy silyl norbornene, or combinations thereof.

60. An optical semiconductor component comprising:

a semiconductor substrate; and

a packaging material located over the semiconductor substrate and comprised of an optically transparent cycloaliphatic polymer.

61. The optical semiconductor component of claim 60, further comprising:

wire bonds located over and coupled to the semiconductor substrate, wherein;

the optically transparent cycloaliphatic polymer encapsulates the wire bonds.

62. The optical semiconductor component of claim 60, further comprising:

an optical image sensor supported by the semiconductor substrate, wherein;

the optical image sensor is capable of detecting an optical image passing through the optically transparent cycloaliphatic polymer.

63. The optical semiconductor component of claim 60, further comprising:

an optical image transmitter supported by the semiconductor substrate, wherein;

the optical image transmitter is capable of transmitting an optical image through the optically transparent cycloaliphatic polymer.

64. The optical semiconductor component of claim 60, further comprising:

an optical image device supported by the semiconductor substrate, wherein;

the optically transparent cycloaliphatic polymer covers and protects the optical image device.

65. The optical semiconductor component of claim 60, wherein:

the optically transparent cycloaliphatic polymer has a modulus of less than approximately 20 MegaPascals and a coefficient of thermal expansion of less than 60 parts per million per degree Celsius.

66. The optical semiconductor component of claim 60, wherein:

the optically transparent cycloaliphatic polymer has an optical transparency of at least 90 percent throughout a visible spectrum.

67. The optical semiconductor component of claim 60, wherein:

the optically transparent cycloaliphatic polymer comprises a bicyclic compound comprising at least seven carbon atoms.

68. The optical semiconductor component of claim 67, wherein:

the bicyclic compound comprises only seven to eight carbon atoms and a plurality of hydrogen atoms.

69. The optical semiconductor component of claim 68, wherein:

the optically transparent cycloaliphatic polymer further comprises an alkyl chain coupled to the bicyclic compound.

70. The optical semiconductor component of claim 60, wherein:

the optically transparent cycloaliphatic polymer is comprised of polynorbornene.

71. A method of manufacturing an optical semiconductor component comprising:

providing a semiconductor substrate; and

disposing a packaging material over the semiconductor substrate and comprised of an optically transparent cycloaliphatic polymer.

72. The method of claim 71, further comprising:

mixing a monomer of the optically transparent cycloaliphatic polymer with a catalyst to create at least a portion of the packaging material.

73. The method of claim 72, further comprising:

providing the monomer comprised of a material selected from the group consisting of norbornene and bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-2-ene.

74. The method of claim 72, further comprising:

filtering the packaging material.

75. The method of claim 74, wherein:

disposing the packaging material further comprises;

applying the packaging material over the semiconductor substrate after filtering the packaging material.

76. The method of claim 75, further comprising, curing the packaging material after applying the packaging material.

77. The method of claim 72 further comprising, curing the packaging material.

78. An article, comprising:

an optoelectronic package comprising an optical component, an electronic component and an optical layer, where the optical layer is disposed on the optical component, and/or the electronic component, said optical layer comprising an optical polymer containing polycyclic repeating units, said optical polymer derived by contacting at least one polycycloolefin monomer with a high activity Group 10 transition metal catalyst complex of the formula;

[(R^′

)_zM(L^′

)_x(L^″

)_y]_b [WCA]_d

to obtain a polymer product that contains 100 ppm or less of residual Group 10 transition metal prior to purification, wherein [(R^′

)_zM(L^′

)_x(L^″

)_y] is a cation complex where M represents a Group 10 transition metal;

R′

represents an anionic hydrocarbyl containing ligand;

L^′

0 represents a Group 15 neutral electron donor ligand;

L^″

0 represents a labile neutral electron donor ligand;

x is 1 or 2; and

y is 0, 1, 2, or 3; and

z is 0 or 1, wherein the sum of x, y, and z is 3 or 4;

[WCA] represents a weakly coordinating counteranion complex; and

b and d are numbers representing the number of times the cation complex and weakly coordinating counteranion complex are taken to balance the electronic charge on the overall catalyst complex.

79. The article according to claim 78, wherein said group 10 transition metal M is selected from palladium, platinum and nickel, and said Group 15 neutral electron donor ligand L^′

is selected from amines, pyridines, arsines, stibines and organophosphorus containing compounds, wherein said organophosphorus containing ligand is selected from a compound of the formula;

P(R^7′

)_g[X′

(R^7′

)_h]_3-g

wherein X′

is oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, or silicon;

g is 0, 1, 2, or 3;

h is 1, 2, or 3, with the proviso that when X′

is a silicon atom, h is 3, when X′

is an oxygen or sulfur atom h is 1, and when X′

is a nitrogen atom, h is 2;

R^7′

is independently selected from hydrogen, linear and branched C₁-C₁₀ alkyl, C₅-C₁₀ cycloalkyl, linear and branched C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy, allyl, linear and branched C₂-C₁₀ alkenyl, C₆-C₁₂ aryl, C₆-C₁₂ aryloxy, C₆-C₁₂ arylsulfides, C₇-C₁₈ aralkyl, cyclic ethers and thioethers, tri(linear and branched C₁-C₁₀ alkyl)silyl, tri(C₆-C₁₂ aryl)silyl, tri(linear and branched C₁-C₁₀ alkoxy)silyl, triaryloxysilyl, tri(linear and branched C₁-C₁₀ alkyl)siloxy, and tri(C₆-C₁₂ aryl)siloxy, wherein each of the foregoing substituents can be optionally substituted with linear or branched C₁-C₅ alkyl, linear or branched C₁-C₅ haloalkyl, C₁-C₅ alkoxy, halogen, and combinations thereof;

when g is 0 and X′

is oxygen, any two or 3 of R^7′

can be taken together with the oxygen atoms to which they are attached to form a cyclic moiety;

when g is 3 any two of R^7′

can be taken together with the phosphorus atom to which they are attached to represent a phosphacycle of the formula;

80. The article according to claim 79, wherein said polycycloolefin monomer is a blend of norbornene, or an alkyl norbornene wherein said alkyl group has from 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, or combinations thereof, and a trialkoxy silyl norbornene of the formula:

81. The article according to claim 80, wherein said optoelectronic package includes at least one of a light sensor, a light emitting diode, a vertical cavity surface emitting laser, an optical film, an ophthalmic lens, a wave guide, an optical fiber, a photosensitive optical film, a window, a high refractive index film, a laser optic layer, a color filter, an optical adhesive, an optical connector, a laser diode, a semiconductor based detector, gratings and filters for high speed fiber optics, and couplers for fused and integrated optics, and combinations thereof, and wherein said optical polymer is a dielectric film, a chip attach adhesive, an underfill adhesive, a chip encapsulant, a hermetic board coating, a chip protective coating, a flexible adhesive, a glob top, an embedded passive, a laminating adhesive, a capacitor dielectric, a high frequency insulator or connector, a high voltage insulator, a high temperature wire coating, a conductive adhesive, or a photosensitive adhesive or dielectric film, a resistor, an inductor, a capacitor, or a printed circuit board substrate.

82. The article according to claim 80, wherein said optical component is for a camera, a telescope, a microscope, an infra-red monitor, a bar code reader, an image scanner, a phone, a toy, an iris scanner, a retina scanner, a finger print scanner, a personal digital assistant device, an automotive lighting system, a backlight source for a display, for a light bulb, for a traffic light, or for a general illumination device, and

wherein said alkyl norbornene monomer is butyl norbornene, hexyl norbornene, or decyl norbornene, or combinations thereof, and

wherein said trialkoxy silyl norbornene is trimethoxy silyl norbornene, or triethoxy silyl norbornene, or combinations thereof.

83. An article, comprising:

an optoelectronic package comprising an optical layer on an optical component, or on an electronic component, or both, said optical layer comprising an optical polymer containing a polycyclic repeating unit, said optical polymer obtained by polymerizing a polycycloolefin monomer in the presence of a high activity Group 10 transition metal catalyst complex of the formula;

[(R^′

)_zM(L^′

)_x(L^″

)_y]_b [WCA]_d

to obtain an optical polymer product that contains 100 ppm or less of residual Group 10 transition metal prior to purification, wherein [(R^′

)_zM(L^′

)_x(L^″

)_y] is a cation complex where M represents a Group 10 transition metal;

R′

represents a ligand selected from the group consisting of R″

C(O)O, R″

C(O)CHC(O)R″

,R″

C(O)S, R″

C(S)O, R″

O, R″

₂N, and R″

₂P, wherein R″

represents hydrogen, linear and branched C₁-C₂₀ alkyl, C₅-C₁₀ cycloalkyl, linear and branched C₂-C₂₀ alkenyl, C₆-C₁₅ cycloalkenyl, allylic ligands or canonical forms thereof, C₆-C₃₀ aryl, C₆-C₃₀ heteroatom containing aryl, and C₇-C₃₀ aralkyl, wherein each of the foregoing radicals are optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of linear or branched C₁-C₅ alkyl, linear or branched C₁-C₅ haloalkyl, linear or branched C₂-C₅ alkenyl C₂-C₅ haloalkenyl, halogen, sulfur, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and phenyl, wherein said phenyl group is optionally substituted with linear or branched C₁-C₅ alkyl, linear or branched C₁-C₅ haloalkyl, and halogen;

L represents a Group 15 neutral electron donor ligand;

L represents a labile neutral electron donor ligand;

x is 1 or 2; and

y is 0, 1, 2, or 3; and

z is 0 or 1, wherein the sum of x, y, and z is 4;

[WCA] represents a weakly coordinating counteranion complex; and

b and d are numbers representing the number of times the cation complex and weakly coordinating counteranion complex are taken to balance the electronic charge on the overall catalyst complex.

84. The article according to claim 83, wherein said polycycloolefin is selected from a monomer(s) of the formula:

85. The article according to claim 84, wherein said polycycloolefin monomer is a blend of norbornene, or an alkyl norbornene wherein said alkyl group has from 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, or combinations thereof, and a trialkoxy silyl norbornene of the formula:

86. The article according to claim 85, wherein said optoelectronic package includes at least one of a light sensor, a light emitting diode, a vertical cavity surface emitting laser, an optical film, an ophthalmic lens, a wave guide, an optical fiber, a photosensitive optical film, a window, a high refractive index film, a laser optic layer, a color filter, an optical adhesive, an optical connector, a laser diode, a semiconductor based detector, gratings and filters for high speed fiber optics, couplers for fused and integrated optics, and combinations thereof, and

wherein said optical polymer is a dielectric film, a chip attach adhesive, an underfill adhesive, a chip encapsulant, a hermetic board coating, a chip protective coating, a flexible adhesive, a glob top, an embedded passive, a laminating adhesive, a capacitor dielectric, a high frequency insulator or connector, a high voltage insulator, a high temperature wire coating, a conductive adhesive, or a photosensitive adhesive or dielectric film, a resistor, an inductor, a capacitor, or a printed circuit board substrate.

87. The article according to claim 86, wherein said optoelectronic package is for a camera, a telescope, a microscope, an infra-red monitor, a bar code reader, an image scanner, a phone, a toy, an iris scanner, a retina scanner, a finger print scanner, a personal digital assistant device, an automotive lighting system, a backlight source for a display, for a light bulb, for a traffic light, or for a general illumination device, and

wherein said alkyl norbornene monomer is butyl norbornene, hexyl norbornene, or decyl norbornene, or combinations thereof, and

wherein said trialkoxy silyl norbornene is trimethoxy silyl norbornene, or triethoxy silyl norbornene, or combinations thereof.

88. An article, comprising:

an optoelectronic package comprising an optical layer disposed over an optical component and/or an electronic component, said optical layer comprising a optical polymer containing polycyclic repeating unit, said optical polymer derived by contacting, in the substantial absence of a solvent, at least one polycycloolefin monomer with a Group 10 transition metal containing procatalyst complex of the formula [M(A′

)₂], a Group 15 neutral electron donor compound, and a weakly coordinating anion salt containing a cation complex and a weakly coordinating anion complex of the formula [C(L″

)_z″

]_b″

[WCA]_d″

, wherein M represents a Group 10 transition metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, platinum, and palladium;

A′

represents an anionic leaving group that can be displaced by said weakly coordinating anion complex;

C represents a cation selected from the group consisting of a proton, a Group 1 metal cation, a Group 2 metal cation, and an organic group containing cation;

WCA represents a weakly coordinating anion complex;

z″

is an integer from 0 to 8; and

b″ and

d″

represent the number of times the cation and anion complex of said weakly coordinating anion salt are taken to balance the charge on said salt.

89. The article according to claim 88, wherein said Group 15 neutral electron donor compound is selected from the group consisting of amines, pyridines, arsines, stibines and organophosphorus containing compounds.

90. The article according to claim 89, wherein said polycycloolefin monomer is a blend of norbornene, or an alkyl norbornene wherein said alkyl group has from 1 to about 20 carbon atoms, or combinations thereof, and a trialkoxy silyl norbornene of the formula:

91. The article according to claim 90, wherein said optoelectronic package includes at least one of a light sensor, a light emitting diode, a vertical cavity surface emitting laser, an optical film, an ophthalmic lens, a wave guide, an optical fiber, a photosensitive optical film, a window, a high refractive index film, a laser optic layer, a color filter, an optical adhesive, an optical connector, a laser diode, a semiconductor based detector, gratings and filters for high speed fiber optics, couplers for fused and integrated optics, and combinations thereof, and

wherein said optical polymer is a dielectric film, a chip attach adhesive, an underfill adhesive, a chip encapsulant, a hermetic board coating, a chip protective coating, a flexible adhesive, a glob top, an embedded passive, a laminating adhesive, a capacitor dielectric, a high frequency insulator or connector, a high voltage insulator, a high temperature wire coating, a conductive adhesive, or a photosensitive adhesive or dielectric film, a resistor, an inductor, a capacitor, or a printed circuit board substrate.

92. The article according to claim 91, wherein said optoelectronic package is for a camera, a telescope, a microscope, an infra-red monitor, a bar code reader, an image scanner, a phone, a toy, an iris scanner, a retina scanner, a finger print scanner, a personal digital assistant device, an automotive lighting system, a backlight source for a display, for a light bulb, for a traffic light, or for a general illumination device, and

wherein said alkyl norbornene monomer is butyl norbornene, hexyl norbornene, or decyl norbornene, or combinations thereof, and

wherein said trialkoxy silyl norbornene is trimethoxy silyl norbornene, or triethoxy silyl norbornene, or combinations thereof.

93. A method of making an optoelectronic device, comprising:

providing a semiconductor substrate comprising a light detector and/or a light source;

receiving an optical polymer containing a polycyclic repeating unit over said semiconductor substrate, where the receiving comprises;

dispensing a polycycloolefin monomer in the presence of a high activity Group 10 transition metal catalyst complex of the formula;

[(R^′

)_zM(L^′

)_x(L^″

)_y]_b [WCA]_d

over the semiconductor substrate; and

polymerizing the dispensed monomer to obtain said optical polymer containing 100 ppm or less of residual Group 10 transition metal prior to purification, wherein [(R^′

)_zM(L^′

)_x(L^″

)_y] is a cation complex where M represents a Group 10 transition metal;

R′

represents a ligand selected from the group consisting of R″

C(O)O, R″

C(O)CHC(O)R″

,R″

C(O)S, R″

C(S)O, R″

O, R″

₂N, and R″

₂P, wherein R″

represents hydrogen, linear and branched C₁-C₂₀ alkyl, C₅-C₁₀ cycloalkyl, linear and branched C₂-C₂₀ alkenyl, C₆-C₁₅ cycloalkenyl, allylic ligands or canonical forms thereof, C₆-C₃₀ aryl, C₆-C₃₀ heteroatom containing aryl, and C₇-C₃₀ aralkyl, wherein each of the foregoing radicals are optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of linear or branched C₁-C₅ alkyl, linear or branched C₁-C₅ haloalkyl, linear or branched C₂-C₅ alkenyl C₂-C₅ haloalkenyl, halogen, sulfur, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and phenyl, wherein said phenyl group is optionally substituted with linear or branched C₁-C₅ alkyl, linear or branched C₁-C₅ haloalkyl, and halogen;

L^′

represents a Group 15 neutral electron donor ligand;

L^″

represents a labile neutral electron donor ligand;

x is 1 or 2; and

y is 0, 1, 2, or 3; and

z is 0 or 1, wherein the sum of x, y, and z is 4;

[WCA] represents a weakly coordinating counteranion complex; and

b and d are numbers representing the number of times the cation complex and weakly coordinating counteranion complex are taken to balance the electronic charge on the overall catalyst complex.

94. A method of making an optoelectronic device, comprising:

providing a semiconductor substrate comprising a light detector and/or a light source;

receiving an optical polymer containing a polycyclic repeating unit over said semiconductor substrate, where the receiving comprises;

polymerizing a polycycloolefin monomer in the presence of a high activity Group 10 transition metal catalyst complex of the formula;

[(R^′

)_zM(L^′

)_x(L^″

)_y]_b [WCA]_d

 

to obtain said optical polymer containing 100 ppm or less of residual Group 10 transition metal prior to purification, wherein [(R^′

)_zM(L^′

)^x(L^″

)_y] is a cation complex where M represents a Group 10 transition metal;

R′

represents a ligand selected from the group consisting of R″

C(O)O, R″

C(O)CHC(O)R″

,R″

C(O)S, R″

C(S)O, R″

O, R″

₂N, and R″

₂P, wherein R″

represents hydrogen, linear and branched C₁-C₂₀ alkyl, C₅-C₁₀ cycloalkyl, linear and branched C₁-C₂₀ alkenyl, C₆-C₁₅ cycloalkenyl, allylic ligands or canonical forms thereof, C₆-C₃₀ aryl, C₆-C₃₀ heteroatom containing aryl, and C₇-C₃₀ aralkyl, wherein each of the foregoing radicals are optionally substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of linear or branched C₁-C₅ alkyl, linear or branched C₁-C₅ haloalkyl, linear or branched C₂-C₅ alkenyl C₂-C₅ haloalkenyl, halogen, sulfur, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and phenyl, wherein said phenyl group is optionally substituted with linear or branched C₁-C₅ alkyl, linear or branched C₁-C₅ haloalkyl, and halogen;

L^′

represents a Group 15 neutral electron donor ligand;

L^″

represents a labile neutral electron donor ligand;

x is 1 or 2; and

y is 0, 1, 2, or 3; and

z is 0 or 1, wherein the sum of x, y, and z is 4;

[WCA] represents a weakly coordinating counteranion complex; and

b and d are numbers representing the number of times the cation complex and weakly coordinating counteranion complex are taken to balance the electronic charge on the overall catalyst complex; and

dispensing the optical polymer and a solvent onto the semiconductor substrate and after the dispensing, curing the optical polymer by removing the solvent.