At the moment PMMA and PC are generally used as substrates for ROM optical discs. In several cases inorganic glass is preferred for DRAW and E-DRAW information carriers especially because o f its high-barrier characteristics. The benefit o f PMMA having low sensitivity to orientation birefringence is opposed by the disadvantage of high water absorption causing warp. It is just the inverse situation with PC. S o a polymer material would be desirable which exhibits low optical anisotropy and simultaneously reduced water absorption. The anisotropy problem could possibly be solved regarding additivity o f bond polarizabilities within the monomer units, i. e. compensating positive and negative anisotropies by copolymerisation o r blending. Reduced water absorption means avoiding polar groups. Polymers are scarcely real barriers against O 2 and H 2 0 vapor compared to metals and inorganic glass. PAN and PVDC could be relatively effective as thin layers. Vortrag anlanlich der Tagung der Fachgruppe "Makrornolekulare Chemie" d e r Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker u b e r "Neue Polymere-Spezielle Eigenschaften -Moderne Technologien" in Bad Nauheim am 14. und 1 5 . April 1986.