Synthesis and characterization of poly(arylene ether)s derived from 4,4′‐bishydroxybiphenyl and 4,4′‐bishydroxyterphenyl

A series of poly(arylene ether)s were successfully prepared by aromatic, nucleophilic substitution reactions with various perfluoroalkyl‐activated bisfluoromonomers with 4,4′‐bishydroxybiphenyl and 4,4′‐bishydroxyterphenyl. 4,4′‐Bishydroxyterphenyl was synthesized through the Grignard coupling reaction of magnesium salt of 4‐bromoanisole with dibromobenzene followed by demethylation with pyridine–hydrochloride. The products obtained by the displacement of fluorine atoms exhibited good inherent viscosity, up to 0.77 dL/g, and number‐average molecular weights up to 69,300. These poly(arylene ether)s showed very good thermal stability, up to 548 °C for 5% weight loss according to thermogravimetric analysis under synthetic air, and high glass‐transition temperatures, up to 259 °C according to differential scanning calorimetry, depending on the exact repeat unit structure. These polymers were soluble in a wide range of organic solvents, such as N‐methylpyrrolidone, dimethylformamide, tetrahydrofuran, toluene, and CHCl₃, and were insoluble in dimethyl sulfoxide and acetone. Thin films of these poly(arylene ether)s showed good transparency and exhibited tensile strengths up to 132 MPa, moduli up to 3.34 GPa, and elongations at break up to 84%, depending on their exact repeating unit structures. These values are comparable to those of high‐performance thermoplastic materials such as poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) and Ultem poly(ether imide) (PEI). These poly(arylene ether)s exhibited low dielectric constants. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 55–69, 2002     

Polymerization of styrene by poly(bisphenol a 4,4′-azobis-4-cyanopentanoate)

A free radical initiator, poly(bisphenol A 4,4′-azobis-4-cyanopentanoate) (BPA), containing more than one azo group per molecule, was used to polymerize styrene in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) at 60°C. Polymerization rates were measured gravimetrically or dilatometrically, and the molecular weights of the isolated polystyrenes were determined viscometrically, both before and after hydrolysis. BPA has a relatively low initiator efficiency of 0.28. The activation energy and velocity constant at 60°C for decomposition of BPA per azo group in DMF were found spectroscopically to be 105.9 kJ/mole and 2.08 × 10^?5 sec^?1, respectively. The molecular weights of unhydrolysed polystyrenes increased with increasing conversion and a theory is developed to explain these results.     

Cyclic and multicyclic poly(ether sulfone)s by polycondensation of 5,5′,6,6′‐tetrahydroxy‐ 3,3,3′,3′‐tetramethyl spirobisindane and 4,4′‐difluorodiphenylsulfone

5.5′,6,6′‐Tetrahydroxy‐3,3,3′,3′‐tetramethyl spirobisindane (TTSBI) was polycondensed with 4,4′‐difluorodiphenylsulfone (DFDPS) in DMSO with K₂CO₃ as catalyst and azeotopic removal of water. The feed ratio of DFDPS/TTSBI was varied from 1.0/1.0 to 2.0/1.0 at concentrations avoiding gelation. At feed ratios around 1.0/1.0 hyperbranched polymers were a minority and cyclic poly(ether sulfone)s were the predominant reaction products. With increasing feed ratio of DFDPS more and more multicyclic polymers were formed, and at a feed ratio of 1.9/1.0 perfect multicycles free of functional groups were the vast majority of the reaction product. Despite variation of the reaction conditions quantitative conversion was not achieved. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 5597–5605, 2007     

Synthesis and characterization of sulfone-containing polyesters derived from 4,4′-dicarboxydiphenyl sulfone by direct polycondensation

Several sulfone-containing polyesters having inherent viscosities 0.43-0.19 dL g^?1 were prepared by direct polycondensation of 4,4′-dicarboxydiphenyl sulfone (DCDPS) with various aromatic and aliphatic diols, by p-toluenesulfonyl chloride and N,N′-dimethylformamide in pyridine solution. The polyesters were examined by elementary analysis, IR spectra, inherent viscosity, x-ray diffraction, solubility, DSC, and TGA. The diffraction diagram showed that all polyesters were crystalline except that obtained from bisphenol-A. All polymers were soluble in sulfonic acid (18M), phenol and p-chlorophenol, but not in acetone and toluene. These polymers obtained from aromatic bisphenols lost no mass below 325°C, but 10% loss of mass was recorded above 396°C in nitrogen. DCDPS copolymerized with isophthalic acid (IPA) and bisphenol-A had inherent viscosity up to 0.49 dL g^?1, with relatively narrow distribution of molar mass . © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Preparation and physical properties of poly(4,4′‐diamino‐3′‐carbamoylbenzanilide terephthalamide) and poly(4,4′‐diamino‐3′‐carbamoylbenzanilide isophthalamide) films

To prepare thermally stable and high‐performance polymeric films, new solvent‐soluble aromatic polyamides with a carbamoyl pendant group, namely poly(4,4′‐diamino‐3′‐carbamoylbenzanilide terephthalamide) (p‐PDCBTA) and poly(4,4′‐diamino‐3′‐carbamoylbenzanilide isophthalamide) (m‐PDCBTA), were synthesized. The polymers were cyclized at around 200 to 350 °C to form quinazolone and benzoxazinone units along the polymer backbone. The decomposition onset temperatures of the cyclized m‐ and p‐PDCBTAs were 457 and 524 °C, respectively, lower than that of poly(p‐phenylene terephthalamide) (566 °C). For the p‐PDCBTA film drawn by 40% and heat‐treated, the tensile strength and Young's modulus were 421 MPa and 16.4 GPa, respectively. The film cyclized at 350 °C showed a storage modulus (E′) of 1 × 10¹¹ dyne/cm² (10 GPa) over the temperature range of room temperature to 400 °C. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 775–780, 2000     

Low-temperature dielectric relaxation in poly(4,4′-oxydiphenylene pyromellitimide)

The effect of end groups on the low-temperature dielectric relaxation in poly(4,4′-oxydiphenylene pyromellitimide) has been studied using three kinds of samples with different content of anhydride end groups. The magnitude of the dielectric loss peak, designated here the V peak, which appears near ?40°C at 1 kHz, depends on the content of anhydride end groups. If a sample with few anhydride end groups is allowed to absorb water, a loss peak appears near the temperature region of the V peak, but it disappears after subsequent heating. In contrast, a sample having a larger amount of anhydride end groups exhibits a large V peak which remains even after further heating. We conclude that the ? O? portion of the anhydride end groups is responsible for the V peak, though there may be an additional contribution from absorbed water.     

Preparation of poly(alkylenebenzimidazole) by ruthenium complex catalyzed polycondensation of 3,3′‐diaminobenzidine with α,ω‐diols

The reactions of 3,3′‐diaminobenzidine with 1,12‐dodecanediol in 1 : 1–1:3 molar ratios in the presence of RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃ catalyst give poly(alkylenebenzimidazole), [ (CH₂)₁₁ O (CH₂)₁₁ Im / (CH₂)₁₀ Im ]_n (Im: 5,5′‐dibenzimidazole‐2,2′‐diyl) (I_a‐I_d) in 71–92% yields. The relative ratio between the [(CH₂)₁₁ O (CH₂)₁₁ Im ] unit (A) and the [‐ (CH₂)₁₀ Im ] unit (B) in the polymer chain varies depending on the ratio of the substrates used. The polymer I_a obtained from the 1 : 3 reaction contains these structural units in a 98 : 2 ratio. The polymers are soluble in polar solvents such as DMF (N,N‐dimethylformamide), DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide), and NMP (N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone) and have molecular weights M_n (M_w) of 4,200–4,800 (4,800–6,500) by GPC (polystyrene standard). The polymerization of the diol and 3,3′‐diaminobenzidine in higher molar ratios leads to partial cross‐linking of the resulting polymers I_e and I_f via condensation of imidazole NH group with CH₂OH group. Similar reactions of 3,3′‐diaminobenzidine with α,ω‐diols, HO(CH₂)_mOH (m = 4–10), in a 1 : 3 molar ratio give the polymers containing [ (CH₂)_m−1 O (CH₂) _m−1 Im ] and [ (CH₂) _m−2 Im ] units with partial cross‐linked structures. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1383–1392, 1999     

Synthesis of (poly)alkoxymethylphosphine oxides by classical and phase transfer catalyzed Williamson reactions

(Poly)alkoxymethylphosphine oxides were synthesized by the Williamson reaction starting from (poly)hydroxymethyl or (poly)chloromethyl‐phosphine oxides. For the first time, the use of phase transfer catalysis for the synthesis of (O)PCOC bridges is demonstrated.© 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 10: 307–311, 1999     

γ Radiolysis of poly(4,4′-isopropylidene diphenylene sebacate)

Poly-(4,4′-isopropylidene diphenylene sebacate) (PIDPS), a condensation product of bisphenol-A and sebacic acid, was irradiated with ⁶⁰Co γ rays. Viscosity, end-group analysis, and IR spectral measurement techniques were used to study the chemical changes occurring during γ radiolysis. It is observed that PIDPS undergoes random chain scission owing to weak links which may be present or be incorporated by the oxygen from air. The G value of random chain scission is estimated to be 9, whereas the enthalpy of fusion is found to be 6.2 kcal/mol repeat unit of PIDPS.     

Synthesis and characterization of fully rodlike poly(4,4′‐biphenylene pyromellitimide)s with various short side groups

Fully rodlike poly(4,4‐biphenylene pyromellitimide) (PMDA–BZ) is so brittle in spite of its extremely high modulus. In this study, the brittleness was attempted to be improved without a significant sacrifice of the high modulus by incorporating short side groups. For this, benzidine monomers, which contain methyl, methoxy, fluoro, and trifluoromethyl at the 2,2′‐positions, were synthesized and then used for polycondensation reactions with pyromellitic dianhydride in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone, producing soluble poly(amic acids)s. The synthesized poly(amic acid)s were converted to the fully rodlike polyimides in films by a conventional spin‐coating on substrates, soft bake, and thermal imidization. The brittleness of PMDA–BZ was successfully healed with a small portion of sacrifice in the modulus by incorporating methyl, methoxy, and trifluoromethyl groups but could not be healed by the fluoro side group. The improvement in the brittleness might be contributed from the chain mobility and lateral chain packing order enhanced by the incorporation of the side groups, which are evident on the measured structures and properties. The structure and other properties were detected to be influenced by the incorporated side groups. The detailed structures and properties were interpreted by considering roles of side groups and the correlation between structure and properties, respectively. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 937–957, 1999     

Aromatic polyamides. II. Synthesis,wet-spinning,and fiber thermal characterization of poly(4,4′-oxanilideterephthalamide) and copolymers with 4,4′-oxydianiline or isophthalic acid

Poly(4,4′-oxanilideterephthalamide) (coded A-202) was prepared from 4,4′-diaminooxanilide (DAO) and terephthaloyl chloride (TCI) in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc)/5% LiCl and DMAc (5% LiCl)/hexamethylphosphorictriamide (HMPA) solvents. Fiber with tenacity/elongation/modulus at 1% extension (t/e/m) of 5.2 grams per denier (gpd)/1.9%/316 gpd was obtained. The all-para A-202 tended to precipitate from solution. More soluble copolyamides were prepared from DAO and TCl in combination with either 4,4′-oxydianiline (A-202/ODA) or isophthaloyl chloride (A-202/I) in DMAc (5%LiCl). A-202/ODA solutions were spun to fiber with t/e/m of 11.2 gpd/6%/217 gpd; A-202/I gave fiber with t/e/m of 6.4 gpd/1.3%/432 gpd. Dynamic mechanical analyses (Vibron) and dilatometric measurements of A-202, A-202/ODA, and A-202/I showed no glass transition temperature below 200°C. Differential thermal analyses (DTA) revealed no transitions below 400°C. Thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) at 15°C/min exhibited substantially no weight loss in air at temperatures up to 400°C.     

Poly(4,4′-dipiperidyl)amides

Polyamides from 4,4′-dipiperidyl, 1,2-ethylene-, and 1,3-propylene- bridged dipiperidyls were prepared via solution and interfacial polycondensation techniques. In sharp contrast to the polyamides from N,N′-alkyl-substituted alkylene diamines and aromatic diacids, the polyamides from 4,4′-dipiperidyls are high-melting (up to 455°C) and alcohol-insoluble. Tough films were cast from formic acid solutions of the polymers; fiber of good physical properties was prepared from a formic acid solution of the polyterephthalamide of 1,2-di(4-piperidyl)ethane.