| Abstract: | Branched poly(ether sulfone)s were prepared from 1,1,1‐tris(4‐hydroxyphenyl) ethane and 4,4′‐difluorodiphenyl sulfone (DFDPS) either by polycondensation in dimethyl sulfoxide with the elimination of water or via the silyl method in N‐methylpyrrolidone. With an exact 1/1 stoichiometry, crosslinking was avoidable, but significant fractions of cyclic oligomers and polymers were detected by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. Furthermore, bridged cycles (bicycles) were detected. For the silyl method, even an excess of DFDPS of 10 mol % did not result in crosslinking. The pendant OH groups were modified by acylation with acetic anhydride, methacrylic anhydride, undecylenoyl chloride, or cinnamoyl chloride. Alkylation was only successful in a one‐pot procedure via the silyl method. Alkylbromide, ethyl bromoacetate, 3‐chloropropionitrile, 4‐nitrobenzyl bromide, and 3,4‐dichlorobenzyl chloride served as alkylating agents. With 1,3‐propane and 1,4‐butane sultone, poly(ether sulfone)s with pendant sulfonate groups were obtained. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2967–2978, 2002 |
