Synthesis and properties of aromatic polyamides based on 4,4′-(2,7-naphthalenedioxy)dibenzoic acid

4,4′-(2,7-Naphthalenedioxy)dibenzoic acid, a new aromatic dicarboxylic acid monomer, was prepared starting from 2,7-dihydroxynaphthalene and p-fluorobenzonitrile in three steps. Using triphenyl phosphite (TPP) and pyridine as condensing agents, a series of novel aromatic polyamides were synthesized by the direct polycondensation of the diacid monomer and aromatic diamines in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) solution containing dissolved calcium chloride. The resulting polyamides had inherent viscosities ranging from 0.48 to 0.67 dL/g. Most of these polyamides were readily soluble in polar solvents, such as NMP and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc). Transparent, flexible, and tough films were cast from their DMAc solutions. They had tensile strengths of 65–70 MPa, elongations to break of 5–7%, and initial moduli of 1.4–1.6 GPa. Most of these polymers proved to be amorphous, with glass transition temperatures in the range between 143–227°C. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) showed that all the polyamides were stable up to 450°C in both air and nitrogen atmospheres. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 1469–1478, 1997