Copolymerization of styrene with (Z)-1,3-pentadiene in the presence of a syndiotactic-specific catalyst

Copolymerization of styrene with (Z)-1,3-pentadiene affords copolymers mostly containing 1,2 pentadiene units. Both the styrene and the pentadiene units are in syndiotactic arrangement but the comonomer sequence distribution is far from bernoullian. Interestingly, the behavior of (Z)-1,3-pentadiene does not change much when polymerization temperature raises from −20 to +20°C, notwithstanding that (Z)-1,3-pentadiene affords a 1,2-syndiotactic homopolymer at −20°C but a prevailingly 1,4 cis homopolymer at +20°C. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 2697–2702, 1997     

Pseudopoly(amino acid)s: Copolymerization of trans‐4‐hydroxy‐L‐proline and α‐hydroxy acids

A series of novel copolymers of trans‐4‐hydroxy‐L ‐proline (Hpr) and α‐ hydroxy acids [D,L ‐mandelic acid (DLMA) and D,L ‐lactic acid (DLLA)] were synthesized via direct melt copolymerization with stannous octoate as a catalyst. These new copolymers had pendant amine functional groups along the polymer backbone chain. The optimal reaction conditions for the synthesis of the copolymers were obtained with 4 wt % stannous octoate at 140 °C under vacuum for 16 h. The synthesized copolymers were characterized by IR spectrophotometry, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, differential scanning calorimetry, and Ubbelohde viscometry. The effects of the kinds of comonomers and the comonomer molar ratio on the polycondensation and glass‐transition temperature (T_g) were investigated. The T_g's of the copolymers shifted to lower temperatures with an increasing comonomer molar ratio. As expected, the T_g's of the N‐Z‐Hpr/DLMA copolymers were higher than the N‐Z‐Hpr/DLLA copolymers, the pendant groups on the monomers (N‐Z‐Hpr) became larger and more flexible, and the T_g's of the resulting polymers declined. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 724–731, 2001     

Poly(silmethylene)-based polymer blends. II. Synthesis and characterization of poly(diphenylsilmethylene)/poly(methylphenylsilmethylene) blends1

Poly(diphenylsilmethylene) (PDPSM)/poly(methylphenylsilmethylene) (PMPSM) binary polymer blends were synthesized by in situ ring-opening polymerization of 1,1,3,3-tetraphenyl-1,3-disilacyclobutane in PMPSM. Three catalytic methods as well as a noncatalytic method were employed. Radical initiators such as an organic peroxide or azo-compound proved to be the effective catalysts in addition to copper compounds. Blend samples were characterized in detail by DSC, dynamic mechanical analysis, solvent extraction, and microscopic observation to clarify the relationship between the preparative method and the properties of these polymer blends. It is strongly suggested that a part of PMPSM is converted into an insoluble form via formation of PDPSM–PMPSM block or graft copolymers in the case of the in situ copper-catalyzed polymerization in xylene. The formation of block or graft copolymers is also suggested for samples prepared by the in situ bulk polymerization in the presence of a radical initiator. However, PMPSMs simultaneously underwent molecular weight decrease and insolubilization probably due to polymer chain scission and crosslinking, respectively, when the latter method was employed using PMPSM with very high molecular weight. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 1431–1442, 1997     

Phase separation in segmented poly(urethane urea) copolymers during reaction injection molding (RIM) polymerization

In situ experiments were performed with a portable RIM (reaction injection molding) minimachine interfaced to an FTIR spectrophotometer to follow the reaction chemistry and monitor phase separation of copoly(urethane urea)s during RIM polymerization. The PUU copolymers were based on ethylene oxide-capped poly(propylene oxide) polyether diol, 3,5-diethyltoluenediamine (DETDA), and uretonimine liquefied 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate. The effect of catalyst concentration on the degree of phase separation in the as-molded RIM PUU copolymers was investigated by using differential scanning calorimetery and scanning electron microscopy as supplementary methods. The results suggested that an increase of degree of phase separation and a decrease of the size of hard-segment-rich domains take place with a rise of catalyst concentration. The morphological feature was a consequence in combination with the increase in relative rate of urethane formation and the ordering of hydrogen bonding through urea groups. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35 : 865–873, 1997.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(arylene ether)s containing 6‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)pyridazin‐3(2H)‐one or 6‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)pyridazine moieties

A series of novel soluble pyridazinone‐ or pyridazine‐containing poly(arylene ether)s were prepared by a polycondensation reaction. The pyridazinone monomer, 6‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)pyridazin‐3(2H)‐one ( 1 ), was synthesized from the corresponding acetophenone and glyoxylic acid in a simple one‐pot reaction. The pyridazinone monomer was successfully copolymerized with bisphenol A (BPA) or 1,2‐dihydro‐4‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)phthalazin‐1(2H)‐one (DHPZ) and bis(4‐fluorophenyl)sulfone to form high‐molecular‐weight polymers. The copolymers had inherent viscosities of 0.5–0.9 dL/g. The glass‐transition temperatures (T_g's) of the copolymers synthesized with BPA increased with increasing content of the pyridazinone monomer. The T_g's of the copolymers synthesized from DHPZ with different pyridazinone contents were similar to those of the two homopolymers. The homopolymers showed T_g's from 202 to 291 °C by differential scanning calorimetry. The 5% weight loss temperatures in nitrogen measured by thermogravimetric analysis were in the range of 411–500 °C. 4‐(6‐Chloropyridazin‐3‐yl)phenol ( 2 ) was synthesized from 1 via a simple one‐pot reaction. 2 was copolymerized with 4,4′‐isopropylidenediphenol and bis(4‐fluorophenyl)sulfone to form high‐T_g polymers. The copolymers with less than 80 mol % pyridazinone or chloropyridazine monomers were soluble in chlorinated solvents such as chloroform. The copolymers with higher pyridazinone contents and homopolymers were not soluble in chlorinated solvents but were still soluble in dipolar aprotic solvents such as N‐methylpyrrolidinone. The soluble polymers could be cast into flexible films from solution. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 3328–3335, 2006     

Enhancing the glass‐transition temperature of polyimide copolymers containing 2,2′‐bipyridine units by the coordination of nickel malenonitriledithiolate

Polyimide copolymers containing 2,2′‐bipyridine were synthesized and characterized. The glass‐transition temperatures (T_g's) of the polymers ranged from 260 to 300 °C. In contrast to most known organic chromophore‐containing polyimides, the polyimide copolymers in this study showed elevated T_g's (270–320 °C) after coordination with nickel malenonitriledithiolate inorganic chromophores. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 498–503, 2000     

Poly[glycidyl methacrylate(GMA)/methylmethacrylate(MMA)-b-butadiene(B)-b-GMA/MMA] reactive thermoplastic elastomers: Synthesis and characterization

New block copolymers of the ABA type, where B stands for polybutadiene (PBD) and A for polyglycidylmethacrylate(PGMA), poly(methylmethacrylate(MMA)-co-GMA) and PMMA-b-PGMA, respectively, have been successfully synthesized by using the diadduct of tert-butyllithium (tert-BuLi) to meta-diisopropenylbenzene (m-DIB) as a difunctional initiator. The PBD midblock has been synthesized in a cyclohexane/diethylether (100/6, v/v) mixture at room temperature, whereas the methacrylate outer blocks have been synthesized in a cyclohexane/diethylether/THF (100/6/150, v/v/v) mixture at −78°C. Block copolymers of a very narrow molecular weight distribution (1.10) have been analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and tensile testing. These materials are phase separated and can exhibit tensile strength up to 22 MPa together with very high elongation at break (1500%). © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 3507–3515, 1997     

Poly(methyl methacrylate) copolymers containing multiple,pendent plasticizing groups

New ether dimer (ED‐Eh) and diester (EHDE) derivatives of α‐(hydroxymethyl)acrylate, each having two 2‐ethylhexyl side chains, and an amine‐linked di(2‐ethylhexyl)acrylate (AL‐Eh), having three 2‐ethylhexyl side chains, were synthesized and (co)polymerized to evaluate the effects of differences in the structures of the monomers on final (co)polymer properties, particularly glass transition temperature, T_g. The free radical polymerizations of these monomers yielded high‐molecular–weight polymers. Cyclopolymer formation of ED‐Eh and AL‐Eh was confirmed by ¹³C NMR analysis and the cyclization efficiencies were found to be very high (～100%). Copolymers of ED‐Eh, EHDE, and AL‐Eh with methyl methacrylate (MMA) showed significant T_g decreases over poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) due to 2‐ethylhexyl side groups causing “internal” plasticization. Comparison of the T_g's of the copolymers of 2‐ethylhexyl methacrylate, ED‐Eh, EHDE, and AL‐Eh with MMA revealed that the impacts of these monomers on depression of T_g's are identical with respect to the total concentration of the pendent groups. This is consistent with an earlier study involving copolymers of monomers comprising one and two octadecyl side groups with MMA. That is, the magnitude of decrease in T_g's was quantitatively related to the number of the 2‐ethylhexyl pendent groups in the copolymers rather than their placement on the same or randomly incorporated repeat units. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 2302–2310, 2010     

Crystallization behavior and morphology of poly(propylene terephthalate) copolymers containing neopenthyl glycol moieties

The melting behavior and the crystallization kinetics of random poly(propylene/neopenthyl terephthalate) copolymers (PPT‐PNT) were investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry and hot‐stage optical microscopy. Multiple endotherms were evidenced in the PPT‐PNT samples, due to melting and recrystallization processes, similarly to PPT. By applying the Hoffman‐Weeks' method, the T_m° of the copolymers was derived. Baur's equation described well the T_m‐composition data. The isothermal crystallization kinetics was analyzed according to the Avrami's treatment. The introduction of NT units decreased the crystallization rate in comparison to pure PPT. Values of the Avrami's exponent close to three were obtained in all cases, regardless of T_c, in agreement with a crystallization process originating from predeterminated nuclei and characterized by three dimensional spherulitic growth. As a matter of fact, space‐filling spherulites were observed by optical microscopy at all T_cs. Banded spherulites were found for PPT‐PNT5 and PPT‐PNT10, the band spacing being affected by both T_c and composition. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 818–830, 2008     

A novel synthetic strategy for copolymers of vinyl alcohol: Radical copolymerization of alkoxyvinylsilanes with styrene and oxidative transformation of C?Si(OR)2Me into C?OH in the copolymers to afford poly(vinyl alcohol‐ran‐styrene)s

As a novel synthetic strategy for copolymers of vinyl alcohol, we propose herein copolymerization of alkoxyvinylsilanes with other vinyl monomers, followed by oxidative cleavage of the alkoxysilyl groups attached to the main chain of the resulting copolymers. Radical copolymerization of di(isobutoxy)methylvinylsilane 1 with styrene afforded poly( 1 ‐ran‐styrene)s with a variety of compositions of both repeating units, although the M_n's (<9000) and yields (<35%) were rather low. The oxidative cleavage of the alkoxysilyl groups in the copolymers with m‐chloroperbenzoic acid proceeded efficiently, giving poly(vinyl alcohol‐ran‐styrene)s, which were soluble in common organic solvents. The structures of the poly(vinyl alcohol‐ran‐styrene)s were characterized by NMR, GPC, elemental analysis, and matrix‐assisted laser desorption time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF‐MS). © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 3648–3658, 2007     

Thermosensitive and redox-active polymers: Preparation and properties of poly(N-ethylacrylamide-co-vinylferrocene) and poly(N,N-diethylacrylamide-co-vinylferrocene)

Thermosensitive and redox-active polymers were prepared by copolymerization of N-ethyl- or N,N-diethylacrylamides with vinylferrocene (VFc). LCST (lower critical solution temperature) of the aqueous copolymer solution was decreased by increasing the ferrocene content in the copolymer. The oxidation of ferrocene led to a significant increase in LCST due to the transition from hydrophobic to hydrophilic character of the ferrocene moiety in the copolymer. The ferrocene content in the copolymer increases with increasing differences between the LCST's of the oxidation and reduction states. The transition could be made reversible by redox reaction using L -ascorbic acid as an oxidant and cerium sulfate as a reductant. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 1967–1972, 1997     

Coatings with thermally switchable surface energy produced from poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(dimethylsiloxane) block copolymer films

This work explores coatings with thermally switchable wetting behavior, based on block copolymers that possess both hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments. The amphiphilic block copolymers were synthesized by coupling allyl-ended poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and hydride-ended poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) oligomers via a Pt catalyst. One near-symmetric diblock possessed an order-disorder transition temperature (T_ODT) of 64 °C. When cooled through T_ODT in ambient air, the PDMS domains wet the film's surface, producing a hydrophobic coating with a water contact angle (CA) = 90°. However, when cooled in humidified air, hydrophilic PEO domains form at the surface, yielding CA = 30–40°. The coatings can be reversibly switched between the two states by reheating above T_ODT, in the appropriate environment, and then cooling, rapidly generating the desired room-temperature surface wettability. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016, 54, 135–140     

Poly(silarylene–siloxane)polyimides from allyl‐terminated oligoimides and hydride‐functional silarylene–siloxanes via hydrosilylation polymerization

This research was focused on the design and execution of new synthetic routes to low‐temperature‐curable poly(silarylene–siloxane)polyimides. The synthesis of individual oligoimide and silarylene–siloxane blocks was followed by hydrosilylation polymerization to produce crosslinked copolymers. The silarylene–siloxane and polyimide blocks were structurally characterized by IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy and size exclusion chromatography. The high‐temperature resistance of the copolymers was evaluated through the measurement of heat distortion temperatures (T_HD's) via thermomechanical analysis and by the determination of the weight loss at elevated temperatures via thermogravimetric analysis. Glass‐transition temperatures (T_g's) of the silarylene–siloxane segments were measured by differential scanning calorimetry. Hydrosilylation curing was conducted at 60 °C in the presence of chloroplatinic acid (H₂PtCl₆). The copolymers displayed both high‐temperature resistance and low‐temperature flexibility. We observed T_g of the silarylene–siloxane segment as low as ?77 °C and T_HD of the polyimide segment as high as 323 °C. The influence of various oligoimide molecular weights on the properties of copolymers containing the same silarylene–siloxane was examined. The effect of various silarylene–siloxane molecular weights on the properties of copolymers containing the same oligoimide was also examined. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 4922–4932, 2005     

Synthesis and copolymerization of oligo(lactic acid) derived norbornene macromonomers with amino acid derived norbornene monomer: Formation of the 3D macroporous scaffold

Norbornene macromonomers 2 and 3 bearing 10‐ and 20‐mers of lactide were synthesized by ring‐opening polymerization of lactide using 5‐norbornene‐2, 3‐exo‐exo‐dimethanol as an initiator and DBU as a catalyst. Macromonomers 2 and 3 were copolymerized with amino acid derived norbornene monomer 1 , using the Grubbs 2nd generation ruthenium catalyst. The random and block copolymers with M_n's ranging from 28,000 to 180,000 were obtained almost quantitatively where the M_n's of the block copolymers were higher than those of the random ones. Three‐dimensional macroporous structure polymers with average pore size of 10 µm could be found in poly( 1 ) and the block co‐polymer of 1 and 2 or 1 and 3 at the high ratio of 1 . Meanwhile, poly( 2 ) and poly( 3 ) along with block and random copolymers with low ratio of 1 exhibit much larger pores in the range of 50–300 µm. The porosity increased with increase in the unit ratio of 1 . The compressive strength of the porous structure of poly( 2 ) and poly( 3 ) was improved by the copolymerization with 1 . © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 1660–1670     

Octa(maleimido phenyl) silsesquioxane copolymers

Octa(maleimido phenyl) silsesquioxane (OMPS) was prepared from octa(aminophenyl) silsesquioxane (OAPS) and maleic anhydride. Initially, octaphenyl silsesquioxane was prepared, and it was nitrated to obtain octa(nitrophenyl) silsesquioxane; subsequently, reduction was carried out to obtain OAPS. These compounds were characterized with Fourier transform infrared, NMR, gel permeation chromatography, and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction. Differential scanning calorimetry scans of OMPS showed an exotherm above 100 °C, and it was attributed to the curing. The peak maximum temperature depended on the heating rate. Both Ozawa's and Kissinger's methods were used to determine the activation energy for the curing reaction, which was approximately 29 kcal/mol. OMPS was copolymerized with various molar percentages of (1) N,N′‐p‐phenylenedimaleimide (PPMI) and (2) urethane methacrylate (UMA) by thermal and free‐radical polymerization, respectively. The copolymers were characterized with differential scanning calorimetry, dielectric analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction. In the PPMI and UMA copolymer series, the glass‐transition temperature increased with an increase in the OMPS concentration. The permittivity of the UMA copolymers decreased and tan δ increased with an increase in the OMPS concentration. In air and nitrogen atmospheres, the thermal stability of the PPMI and UMA copolymers increased with an increase in the OMPS concentration. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 2483–2494, 2005     

Oxyethylene copolymers with chloromethyl and (alkylthio)methyl or (alkylsulfonyl)methyl side groups: Syntheses and Tg/composition relationships

New classes of copolymers, poly[oxy(chloromethyl)ethylene]/poly[oxy-((alkylthio)methyl)ethylene] copolymers (CE-ATEs), poly[oxy((alkylthio)methyl)-ethylene]s (ATEs), poly[oxy(chloromethyl)ethylene]/poly[oxy((alkylsulfonyl)meth-yl)ethylene] copolymers (CE-ASEs), and poly[oxy((alkylsulfonyl)methyl)ethylene]s (ASEs) have been made for the first time. The thioether-containing polymers (CE-ATEs and ATEs) were synthesized by reacting poly[oxy(chloromethyl)ethylene] (CE, poly(epichlorohydrin)) with different amounts of sodium alkanethiolates. The sulfone-containing polymers (CE-ASEs and ASEs) were synthesized by oxidizing the CE-ATEs and ATEs using m-chloroperoxybenzoic acid. The Fox equation, a linear relationship, fit the T_g/composition data for most CE-ATEs. The T_g's of the CE-ASEs showed positive deviations from those calculated using the Fox equation. The Johnston equation, in which steric and/or polar interactions between dissimilar monomeric units are considered by using T_gAB (the T_g of the AB or BA dyad), fit the T_g/composition data for all copolymers in this study. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36 : 495–504, 1998     

Synthesis and properties of polydimethylsiloxane-containing block copolymers via living radical polymerization

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) block copolymers were synthesized by using PDMS macroinitiators with copper-mediated living radical polymerization. Diamino PDMS led to initiators that gave ABA block copolymers, but there was low initiator efficiency and molecular weights are somewhat uncontrolled. The use of mono- and difunctional carbinol–hydroxyl functional initiators led to AB and ABA block copolymers with narrow polydispersity indices (PDIs) and controlled number-average molecular weights (M_n's). Polymerization with methyl methacrylate (MMA) and 2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) was discovered with a range of molecular weights produced. Polymerizations proceeded with excellent first-order kinetics indicative of living polymerization. ABA block copolymers with MMA were prepared with between 28 and 84 wt % poly(methyl methacrylate) with M_n's between 7.6 and 35 K (PDI <1.30), which show thermal transitions characteristic of block copolymers. ABA block copolymers with DMAEMA led to amphiphilic block copolymers with M_n's between 9.5 and 45.7 K (PDIs of 1.25–1.70), which formed aggregates in solution with a critical micelle concentration of 0.1 g dm⁻³ as determined by pyrene fluorimetry experiments. Monocarbinol functional PDMS gave AB block copolymers with both MMA and DMAEMA. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 1833–1842, 2001     

Thermoplastic elastomers based on poly(l‐Lysine)‐Poly(ε‐Caprolactone) multi‐block copolymers

Novel thermoplastic elastomers based on multi‐block copolymers of poly(l ‐lysine) (PLL), poly(N‐ε‐carbobenzyloxyl‐l ‐lysine) (PZLL), poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL), and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) were synthesized by combination of ring‐opening polymerization (ROP) and chain extension via l ‐lysine diisocyanate (LDI). SEC and ¹H NMR were used to characterize the multi‐block copolymers, with number‐average molecular weights between 38,900 and 73,400 g/mol. Multi‐block copolymers were proved to be good thermoplastic elastomers with Young's modulus between 5 and 60 MPa and tensile strain up to 1300%. The PLL‐containing multi‐block copolymers were electrospun into non‐woven mats that exhibited high surface hydrophilicity and wettability. The polypeptide–polyester materials were biocompatible, bio‐based and environment‐friendly for promising wide applications. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 3012–3018     

Hydrophilic–hydrophobic AB diblock copolymers containing poly(trimethylene carbonate) and poly(ethylene oxide) blocks

AB‐type block copolymers with poly(trimethylene carbonate) [poly(TMC); A] and poly(ethylene oxide) [PEO; B; number‐average molecular weight (M_n) = 5000] blocks [poly(TMC)‐b‐PEO] were synthesized via the ring‐opening polymerization of trimethylene carbonate (TMC) in the presence of monohydroxy PEO with stannous octoate as a catalyst. M_n of the resulting copolymers increased with increasing TMC content in the feed at a constant molar ratio of the monomer to the catalyst (monomer/catalyst = 125). The thermal properties of the AB diblock copolymers were investigated with differential scanning calorimetry. The melting temperature of the PEO blocks was lower than that of the homopolymer, and the crystallinity of the PEO block decreased as the length of the poly(TMC) blocks increased. The glass‐transition temperature of the poly(TMC) blocks was dependent on the diblock copolymer composition upon first heating. The static contact angle decreased sharply with increasing PEO content in the diblock copolymers. Compared with poly(TMC), poly(TMC)‐b‐PEO had a higher Young's modulus and lower elongation at break. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 4819–4827, 2005     

Synthesis and thermal behavior of new poly(ethylene terephthalate‐imide)s

Copoly(ethylene terephthalate‐imide)s (PETIs) were synthesized by the melt copolycondensation of bis(2‐hydroxyethyl)terephthalate with a new imide monomer, N,N′‐bis[p‐(2‐hydroxyethoxycarbonyl)phenyl]‐biphenyl‐3,3′,4,4′‐tetracarboxydiimide (BHEI). The copolymers were characterized by intrinsic viscosity, Fourier transform infrared, ¹H NMR, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis techniques. Although their crystallinities decreased as the content of BHEI units increased, the glass‐transition temperatures (T_g) increased significantly. When 5 or 10 mol % BHEI units were incorporated into poly(ethylene terephthalate), T_g increased by 10 or 24 °C, respectively. The thermal stabilities of PETI copolymers were about the same as the thermal stability of PET, whereas the weight loss of PETIs decreased as the content of BHEI units increased. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 408–415, 2001