Synthesis and characterization of new soluble cardo polyesters derived from 1,1‐bis‐[4‐(4‐chlorocarboxyphenoxy)phenyl]‐4‐tert‐butylcyclohexane with various bisphenols by solution polycondensation

A new cardo diacid chloride, 1,1‐bis‐[4‐(4‐chlorocarboxyphenoxy)phenyl]‐4‐tert‐butylcyclohexane ( 4 ), was synthesized from 1,1‐bis‐[4‐(4‐carboxyphenoxy)phenyl]‐4‐tert‐butylcyclohexane in refluxing thionyl chloride. Subsequently, various new polyesters were prepared from 4 with various bisphenols by solution polycondensation in nitrobenzene using pyridine as a hydrogen chloride quencher at 150 °C. These polyesters were produced with inherent viscosities of 0.32–0.50 dL · g^?1. Most of these polyesters exhibited excellent solubility in a variety of solvents such as N,N‐dimethylformamide, tetrahydrofuran, tetrachloroethane, dimethyl sulfoxide, N,N‐dimethylacetamide, N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone, m‐cresol, o‐chlorophenol, and chloroform. These polymers showed glass‐transition temperatures (T_g's) between 144 and 197 °C. The polymer containing the adamantane group exhibited the highest T_g value. The 10% weight loss temperatures of the polyesters, measured by thermogravimetric analysis, were found to be in the range of 426–451 °C in nitrogen. These cardo polyesters exhibited higher T_g's and better solubility than bisphenol A‐based polyesters. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2951–2956, 2001     

Thermally Crosslinkable and Chemically Modifiable Aromatic Polyesters Possessing Pendant Propargyloxy Groups

New aromatic (co)polyesters containing pendant propargyloxy groups were synthesized by phase transfer‐catalyzed interfacial polycondensation of 5‐(propargyloxy)isophthaloyl chloride (P‐IPC) and various compositions of P‐IPC and isophthaloyl chloride with bisphenol A. FTIR and NMR spectroscopic data, respectively, revealed successful incorporation of pendant propargyloxy groups into (co)polyesters and formation of (co)polyesters with desired compositions. (Co)polyesters exhibited good solubility in common organic solvents such as chloroform, dichloromethane, and tetrahydrofuran and could be cast into transparent, flexible, and tough films from chloroform solution. Inherent viscosities and number average molecular weights of (co)polyesters were in the range 0.77–1.33 dL/g and 43,600–118,000 g/mol, respectively, indicating the achievement of reasonably high‐molecular weights. The 10% weight loss temperatures of (co)polyesters were in the range 390–420 °C, demonstrating their good thermal stability. (Co)polyesters exhibited T_g in the range 146–170 °C and T_g values decreased with increase in mol % incorporation of P‐IPC. The study of non‐isothermal curing by DSC indicated thermal crosslinking of (co)polyesters via propargyloxy groups. The utility of pendant propargyloxy group was demonstrated by post‐modification of the selected copolyester with 1‐(4‐azidobutyl)pyrene, 9‐(azidomethyl)anthracene, and azido‐terminated poly(ethyleneglycol) monomethyl ether via copper(I)‐catalyzed Huisgen 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reaction. FTIR and ¹H NMR spectra confirmed that click reaction was quantitative. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 588–597     

Synthesis and characterization of new soluble cardo polyamides containing the tricyclo[5.2.1.02,6]decane group

A new cardo dicarboxylic acid, 8,8‐bis[4‐(4‐carboxyphenoxy)phenyl]tricyclo[5.2.1.0^2,6]decane (BCPTD), was synthesized from 4,4′‐(octahydro‐4,7‐methano‐5H‐inden‐5‐ylidene)bisphenol and p‐fluorobenzonitrile via aromatic nucleophilic substitution followed by hydrolysis. A series of new cardo polyamides was prepared by the direct polycondensation of BCPTD and various aromatic diamines in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone (NMP) with triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as the condensing agents. Polymers were produced with moderate to high inherent viscosities of 0.65 to 1.08 dL g⁻¹. The polymers, except for polymer PA1 , exhibited number‐average molecular weights and weight‐average molecular weights in the range of 38,400 to 86,300 and 57,800 to 148,000, respectively. Nearly all of the polymers were readily soluble in polar solvents such as NMP, N,N‐dimethylacetamide, N,N‐dimethylformamide, and dimethyl sulfoxide as well as in less polar solvents such as pyridine, γ‐butyrolactone, and tetrahydrofuran. All of the polymers were amorphous, and the polyamide films had a tensile‐strength range of 75 to 128 MPa and a tensile‐modulus range of 2.0 to 2.8 GPa. These polyamides had glass‐transition temperatures between 240 and 269°C and 10% weight‐loss temperatures in the range of 477 to 508°C and 471 to 518°C in nitrogen and air atmospheres, respectively. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 74–79, 2000     

Synthesis and characterization of new cardo polyesters

New phthalide-containing bisphenols, phenolphthalein-N-(3-methylanilide) (3-PMA), and phenolphthalein-N-(4-methylanilide) (4-PMA), were synthesized from phenolphthalein and m- and p-toluidines. These bisphenols were polycondensed with terephthaloyl chloride (TPC) using an interfacial or solution polymerization technique to yield new polyesters. Copolymers were also obtained by utilizing different molar proportion of phenolphthalein (PPH) and 3-PMA or 4-PMA with TPC. The polymers prepared by solution polymerization were obtained in 93–99% yields and showed reduced viscosities in the range 0.37–0.83 dL/g. They were readily soluble in chlorinated hydrocarbons and aprotic polar solvents. The polyesters showed glass transition temperatures in the range 261–300°C as measured by DSC. Thermogravimetric analysis of the polyesters indicated no weight loss below 408°C under N₂ atmosphere. Structure–property correlations among these cardo polyesters have been discussed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 3227–3234, 1997     

Synthesis and characterization of new soluble cardo polyamide‐imides containing cyclododecyl groups

A new cardo diimide‐dicarboxylic acid, 1,1‐bis[4‐(4‐trimellitimidophenoxy)phenyl]cyclododecane (BTPCD), containing a pendant cyclododecyl group was synthesized by the condensation reaction of 1,1‐bis[4‐(4‐aminophenoxy)phenyl]cyclododecane with trimellitic anhydride in glacial acetic acid. A series of new cardo polyamide‐imides were prepared by the direct polycondensation of BTPCD and various aromatic diamines in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone (NMP) with triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents. The polymers were produced in high yields and with moderate‐to‐high inherent viscosities of 0.72–1.02 dL g⁻¹. The number‐average and weight‐average molecular weights of the polymers ranged from 21,000 to 49,000 and 58,000 to 92,000, respectively. All the polymers exhibited excellent solubility and could be readily dissolved in various solvents such as NMP, N,N‐dimethylacetamide, N,N‐dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, pyridine, cyclohexanone, and tetrahydrofuran. These polyamide‐imides had glass‐transition temperatures between 241 and 262 °C and 10% weight‐loss temperatures ranging from 469 to 511 °C in nitrogen. The polymer films had a tensile strength range of 79–108 MPa, an elongation at break range of 7–14%, and a tensile modulus range of 2.0–2.4 GPa. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2787–2793, 2000     

Syntheses and properties of new aromatic polybenzoxazoles bearing ether and phenylethylidene or 1‐phenyl‐2,2,2‐trifluoroethylidene linkages

Two new bis(ether acyl chloride)s, 1,1‐bis[4‐(4‐chloroformylphenoxy)phenyl]‐1‐phenylethane and 1,1‐bis[4‐(4‐chloroformylphenoxy)phenyl]‐1‐phenyl‐2,2,2‐trifluoroethane, were prepared from readily available reagents. Aromatic polybenzoxazoles with both ether and phenylethylidene or 1‐phenyl‐2,2,2‐trifluoroethylidene linkages between phenylene units were obtained by a conventional two‐step procedure including the low‐temperature solution polycondensation of the bis(ether acyl chloride)s with three bis(o‐aminophenol)s, yielding poly(o‐hydroxyamide) precursors, and subsequent thermal cyclodehydration. The intermediate poly(o‐hydroxyamide)s exhibited inherent viscosities of 0.39–0.98 dL/g. All of the poly(o‐hydroxyamide)s were amorphous and soluble in polar organic solvents such as N,N‐dimethylacetamide, and most of them could afford flexible and tough films via solvent casting. The poly(o‐hydroxyamide)s exhibited glass‐transition temperatures (T_g's) of 129–194 °C and could be thermally converted into corresponding polybenzoxazoles in the solid state at temperatures higher than 300 °C. All the polybenzoxazoles were amorphous and showed an enhanced T_g but a dramatically decreased solubility with to respect to their poly(o‐hydroxyamide) precursors. They exhibited T_g's of 216–236 °C through differential scanning calorimetry and were stable up to 500 °C in nitrogen or air, with 10% weight‐loss temperatures being recorded between 538 and 562 °C in nitrogen or air. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 914–921, 2003     

Synthesis and properties of novel cardo aromatic poly(ether‐benzoxazole)s

Three new bis(ether‐acyl chloride) monomers, 1,1‐bis[4‐(4‐chloroformylphenoxy)phenyl]cyclohexane ( 1a ), 5,5‐bis[4‐(4‐chloroformylphenoxy)phenyl]‐4,7‐methanohexahydroindan ( 1b ), and 9,9‐bis[4‐(4‐chloroformylphenoxy)phenyl]fluorene ( 1c ), were synthesized from readily available compounds. Aromatic polybenzoxazoles bearing ether and cardo groups were obtained by the low‐temperature solution polycondensation of the bis(ether‐acyl chloride)s with three bis(aminophenol)s and the subsequent thermal cyclodehydration of the resultant poly(o‐hydroxy amide)s. The intermediate poly(o‐hydroxy amide)s exhibited inherent viscosities in the range of 0.35–0.71 dL/g. All of the poly(o‐hydroxy amide)s were amorphous and soluble in many organic polar solvents, and most of them could afford flexible and tough films by solvent casting. The poly(o‐hydroxy amide)s exhibited glass‐transition temperatures (T_g's) in the range of 141–169 °C and could be thermally converted into the corresponding polybenzoxazoles approximately in the region of 240–350 °C, as indicated by the DSC thermograms. Flexible and tough films of polybenzoxazoles could be obtained by thermal cyclodehydration of the poly(o‐hydroxy amide) films. All the polybenzoxazoles were amorphous and showed an enhanced T_g but a dramatically decreased solubility as compared with their poly(o‐hydroxy amide) precursors. They exhibited T_g's of 215–272 °C by DSC and showed insignificant weight loss before 500 °C in nitrogen or air. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 4014–4021, 2001     

Segmented block copolyesters using click chemistry

Copper(I) catalyzed azide‐alkyne 1,3‐Huisgen cycloaddition reaction afforded the synthesis of triazole‐containing polyesters and segmented block copolyesters at moderate temperatures. Triazole‐containing homopolyesters exhibited significantly increased (～40 °C) glass transition temperatures (T_g) relative to high temperature, melt synthesis of polyesters with analogous structures. Quantitative synthesis of azido‐terminated poly(propylene glycol) (PPG) allowed for the preparation of segmented polyesters, which exhibited increased solubility and mechanical ductility relative to triazole‐containing homopolyesters. Differential scanning calorimetry demonstrated a soft segment (SS) T_g near ?60 °C for the segmented polyesters, consistent with microphase separation. Tensile testing revealed Young's moduli ranging from 7 to 133 MPa as a function of hard segment (HS) content, and stress at break values approached 10 MPa for 50 wt % HS segmented click polyesters. Dynamic mechanical analysis demonstrated an increased rubbery plateau modulus with increased HS content, and the T_g's of both the SS and HS did not vary with composition, confirming microphase separation. Atomic force microscopy also indicated microphase separated and semicrystalline morphologies for the segmented click polyesters. This is the first report detailing the preparation of segmented copolyesters using click chemistry for the formation of ductile membranes with excellent thermomechanical response. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Fluorene‐rich high performance polyesters: Synthesis and characterization of 9,9‐fluorenylidene and 2,7‐fluorenylene‐based polyesters with excellent optical property

Polyesters PEs containing high content of fluorene units in their backbones were synthesized from 9,9‐diarene‐substituted fluorene diols ( 1 ) and fluorene‐based diacid chlorides ( 2 ) by high temperature polycondensation at 185 °C in diphenyl ether. The molecular weights of the polyesters PE1‐PE5 were in a range of M_w 25,000–165,000. The polyesters displayed their high thermostability: the glass transition temperatures (T_g) by differential scanning calorimetry analysis ranged from 109 to 217 °C, while the 10% weight loss temperatures (T_d10) measured by thermogravimetric analysis were over 400 °C in nitrogen and 395 °C in air. The polyesters had good solubility in most common organic solvents such as chloroform and toluene and gave tough, transparent and flexible cast films. The transmittance of the films was over 80% in the wavelength range from 450 to 700 nm in any PEs . The PEs exhibited high refractive index values around 1.65, while they had very low degree of birefringence. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 2549–2556, 2008     

Synthesis of crosslinkable fluorinated polyesters for optical waveguide devices

A series of novel crosslinkable, highly fluorinated polyesters were synthesized by copolycondensation reactions of terephthaloyl chloride with 4, 4′‐(hexafluoroisopropy‐lidene)‐diphenol and 2,2,3,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,7,7‐dodecafluoro‐octane‐1,8‐diol, followed by reaction with 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate. The resulting polyesters with the molecular weights (M_n: 12,100–20,000 g mol^?1) and polydispersities (1.49–2.25) were useful for the fabrication of polymer optical devices because of their good solubility in common organic solvent and the processable flexibility. The ratios of the components of the polyesters were characterized by FTIR and NMR. The polyesters had high glass transition temperature (T_g,: up to 170 °C) and good thermal stabilities (T_d: up to 470 °C). The refractive index of the polyester film was tuned and controlled in the range of 1.447–1.576 at 1550 nm by monitoring the component fractions during the preparation procedures. Low‐loss optical waveguides were fabricated from the resulting polyesters and the propagation loss of the channel waveguides was measured to be around 0.56 dB/cm at 1550 nm. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 5923–5931, 2007     

Preparation and properties of polyesters derived from 4,4′-sulfonyl dibenzoyl chloride by solution polycondensation

Sulfone-containing polyesters of 18 kinds having inherent viscosities of 1.19–0.16 dL g⁻¹ were prepared derived from 4,4′-sulfonyl dibenzoyl chloride by solution polycondensation from various aromatic and aliphatic diols in nitrobenzene at 82°C. The polyesters were examined with IR spectra, inherent viscosity, x-ray diffraction, solubility, DSC, and TGA. Polyester (PE-7) with the greatest inherent viscosity may reflect that bisphenol A having a electron-releasing group increases nucleophilic properties of the phenolate anion. Diols such as bisphenol AF (PE-13) and brominated diols (PE-4, PE-10, and PE-16) gave less favorable results. The diffractograms showed that all polyesters were essentially amorphous except that obtained from bisphenol S and its derivatives. Almost all polyesters except PE-1 and PE-2 were soluble in DMF, THF, tetrachloroethane and phenol/sym-tetrachloroethane (60/40 by mass) but insoluble in typical organic solvents such as acetone, toluene, and chloroform. These polymers obtained from aromatic bisphenols lost no mass below 309°C, but 10% loss of mass was recorded above 380°C in nitrogen. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A new cardo bisphenol monomer containing pendant azido group and the resulting aromatic polyesters

Expanding on our strategy to synthesize aromatic step‐growth polymers containing pendant clickable azido groups via functional monomer approach, we have now designed and synthesized a new cardo bisphenol, viz., 2‐(2‐azidoethyl)‐3, 3‐bis(4‐hydroxyphenyl) isoindolin‐1‐one (PPH‐N₃). PPH‐N₃ was conveniently synthesized starting from commercially available phenolphthalein by a three‐step route in an overall yield of 65% using simple organic transformations. Aromatic (co)polyesters bearing pendant azido groups were synthesized by low‐temperature solution polycondensation of PPH‐N₃ or different molar ratios of PPH‐N₃ and bisphenol‐A (BPA) with aromatic diacid chlorides in dry dichloromethane in the presence of triethylamine (TEA) as a base. The formation of medium to reasonably high‐molecular‐weight (co)polyesters was evidenced from intrinsic viscosity and number‐average molecular‐weight measurements that were in the range 0.52–0.85 dL/g and 16,700–28,200, respectively. Tough, transparent, and flexible films could be cast from chloroform solutions of these (co)polyesters. (Co)polyesters were characterized using FTIR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, XRD, and TGA. The thermal curing reaction of (co)polyesters involving decomposition of azido groups was studied by DSC analysis. The chemical modification of a representative copolyester containing pendant azido groups was carried out quantitatively using catalyst‐free azide‐maleimide cycloaddition reaction with two maleimides, namely, N‐methylmaleimide and N‐hexylmaleimide. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 1516–1526     

Synthesis and characterization of soluble polyimides derived from [1,1′;4′,1″]terphenyl‐2′,5′‐diol and biphenyl‐2,5‐diol

Two series of polyimides based on laterally attached p‐terphenyl and biphenyl groups were synthesized. The solubility and thermal properties were studied using DSC, thermogravimetric analysis, and the solubility test. These polymers exhibited good thermal stability and excellent solubility. The high solubility for both polymer series was attributed to the non‐coplanarity of diamine monomers and the use of fluorinated dianhydride, whereas the slightly better solubility for polymers based on p‐terphenyl was attributed to further weakening of interchain interaction of the polymers. Both polymer series exhibited glass‐transition temperatures (T_g's) in the range of 244–272 °C. The T_g's of polymers containing laterally attached p‐terphenyls were higher than those of their counterparts containing biphenyls by 5–17 °C. This was attributed to the formation of an interdigitated structure that hinders the segmental movement of polymer chains. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2998–3007, 2001     

Synthesis and properties of novel aromatic poly(o-hydroxy amide)s and polybenzoxazoles based on the bis(ether benzoyl chloride)s from hydroquinone and its methyl-, tert-butyl-, and phenyl-substituted derivatives

Four series of poly(o-hydroxy amide)s were prepared by the low-temperature solution polycondensation of the bis(ether benzoyl chloride)s extended from hydroquinone and its methyl-, tert-butyl-, or phenyl-substituted derivatives with three bis(o-aminophenol)s. Most of the poly(o-hydroxy amide)s displayed an amorphous nature, were readily soluble in various polar solvents such as N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), and could be solution-cast into flexible and tough films. These poly(o-hydroxy amide)s had glass transition temperatures (T_g) in the range of 152–185°C and could be thermally cyclodehydrated into the corresponding polybenzoxazoles approximately in the region of 200–400°C, as evidenced by the DSC thermograms. The thermally converted benzoxazole polymers exhibited T_gs in the range of 215–247°C and did not show significant weight loss before 500°C either in nitrogen or in air. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2129–2136, 1999     

Resistive switching polymer materials based on poly(aryl ether)s containing triphenylamine and 1,2,4‐triazole moieties

A series of poly(aryl ether)s were successfully prepared via aromatic nucleophilic substitution reaction from various bisphenols and a novel bipolar aryl difluoride monomer containing electron‐donor triphenylamine and electron‐acceptor 1,2,4‐triazole moieties. The poly(aryl ether)s exhibited excellent solubility in organic solvents such as dimethylformamide, chloroform, and tetrahydrofuran at room temperature. The poly(aryl ether)s showed high thermal stability with T_d10 higher than 500 °C and glass transition temperatures (T_g) higher than 187 °C. The thin films of the poly(aryl ether)s indicated bistable resistive switching behavior with ON/OFF current ratios as high as 10³. The switching on and switching off bias voltages of the poly(aryl ether)s were affected by the bisphenol moiety. The good resistive switching behavior of the poly(aryl ether)s made them promising candidates for future nonvolatile memory applications. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 6861–6871, 2008     

Synthesis,thermal, rheological characteristics,and enzymatic degradation of aliphatic polyesters with lignin‐based aromatic pendant groups

This research aims to produce lignin‐based biodegradable polyesters with improved thermal quality. A series of aliphatic polyesters with lignin‐based aromatic side groups were synthesized by conventional melt‐polycondensation. Decent molecular weight (21–64 kg mol^?1) was achieved for the polymerizations. The molecular structures and thermal and mechanical properties of the obtained polyesters were characterized. As a result, the obtained polyesters are all amorphous, and their glass‐transition temperature (T_g) depends on the size of the pendant aromatic group (31–51 °C). Furthermore, according to the TGA results, the thermal decomposition temperatures of the polyesters are all above 390 °C, which make them superior compared with commercial biodegradable polyesters like polylactic acid or polyhydroxyalkanoates. Finally, rheological characteristics and enzymatic degradation of the obtained polyesters were also measured. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 2314–2323     

Syntheses and properties of organosoluble poly(ether imide)s from 1,1‐bis[4‐(3,4‐dicarboxyphenoxy)phenyl]cyclohexane dianhydride and aromatic diamines

A bis(ether anhydride) monomer, 1,1‐bis[4‐(3,4‐dicarboxyphenoxy)phenyl]cyclohexane dianhydride ( IV‐A ), was synthesized from the nitro displacement of 4‐nitrophthalodinitrile by the phenoxide ion of 1,1‐bis(4‐hydroxyphenyl)cyclohexane ( I‐A ), followed by alkaline hydrolysis of the intermediate bis(ether dinitrile) and dehydration of the resulting bis(ether acid). A novel series of organosoluble poly(ether imide)s ( VI _a–i )(PEIs) bearing cyclohexylidene cardo groups was prepared from the bis(ether anhydride) IV‐A with various aromatic diamines V _a–i via a conventional two‐stage process. The PEIs had inherent viscosities in the range of 0.48–1.02 dL/g and afforded flexible and tough films by solution‐casting because of their good solubilities in organic solvents. Most PEIs showed yield points in the range of 89–102 MPa at stress‐strain curves and had tensile strengths of 78–103 MPa, elongations at breaks of 8–62%, and initial moduli of 1.8–2.2 GPa. The glass‐transition temperatures (T_g's) of these PEIs were recorded between 200–234 °C. Decomposition temperatures of 10% weight loss all occurred above 490 °C in both air and nitrogen atmospheres, and their residues were more than 43% at 800 °C in nitrogen atmosphere. The cyclohexane cardo‐based PEIs exhibited relatively higher T_g's, better solubilities in organic solvents, and better tensile properties as compared with the corresponding Ultem® PEI system. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 788–799, 2001     

Molecular design,synthesis, and properties of Y‐type nonlinear optical polyester containing tricyanovinylthiophene with enhanced thermal stability of second harmonic generation

1‐{3,4‐Di‐(2‐hydroxyethoxy)phenyl}‐2‐(2‐thiophenyl)ethene (5) was prepared and condensed with terephthaloyl chloride to yield polyester (6). Polymer 6 was reacted with tetracyanoethylene to give a new Y‐type polyester (7) containing 1‐(3,4‐dioxyethoxy)phenyl‐2‐{5‐(2,2,3‐tricyanovinyl)‐2‐thiophenyl)}ethenyl groups as NLO‐chromophores, which are components of the polymer backbones. Polyester 7 is soluble in common organic solvents such as N,N‐dimethylformamide and acetone. Polymer 7 showed a thermal stability up to 300 °C in thermogravimetric analysis with glass transition temperature (T_g) obtained from differential scanning calorimetry near 126 °C. The second harmonic generation (SHG) coefficient (d₃₃) of poled polymer film at the 1560 nm fundamental wavelength was around 6.57 × 10^?9 esu. The dipole alignment exhibited high thermal stability up to the T_g, and there was no SHG decay below 125 °C due to the partial main‐chain character of polymer structure, which is acceptable for NLO device applications. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 1911–1919, 2009     

Synthesis of aromatic poly(ether amide amide ether ketone ketone)s by electrophilic Friedel–Crafts solution polycondensation

A new monomer, N,N′‐bis(4‐phenoxybenzoyl)‐p‐phenylenediamine (BPBPPD), was prepared by the condensation of p‐phenylenediamine with 4‐phenoxybenzoyl chloride in N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc). Novel aromatic poly(ether amide amide ether ketone ketone)s (PEAAEKKs) were synthesized by electrophilic Friedel–Crafts solution copolycondensation of BPBPPD with a mixture of terephthaloyl chloride (TPC) and isophthaloyl chloride (IPC), over a wide range of TPC/IPC molar ratios, in the presence of anhydrous aluminum chloride and N‐methylpyrrolidone (NMP) in 1,2‐dichloroethane (DCE). The influences of reaction conditions on the preparation of polymers were examined. The polymers obtained were characterized by different physico–chemical techniques such as FT‐IR, Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD). The polymers with 70–100 mol% IPC are semicrystalline and have remarkably increased T_gs over commercially available poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) and poly(ether ketone ketone) (PEKK) due to the incorporation of amide groups in the main chain. The polymers with 70–80 mol% IPC had not only high T_gs of 209–213°C, but also moderate T_ms of 339–348°C, which are suitable for melt processing. The polymers with 70–80 mol% IPC had tensile strengths of 107.5–109.8 MPa, Young's moduli of 2.53–2.69 GPa, and elongations at break of 9–11% and exhibited high thermal stability and good resistance to organic solvents. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and characterization of spirobifluorene‐based polyimides

The synthesis and properties of organosoluble aromatic polyimides, containing spiro‐skeletal units in the polymer backbone on the basis of the spiro‐diamine monomer, 2,2′‐diamino‐9,9′‐spirobifluorene, are described. In the case of the spiro segment, the two fluorene rings are orthogonally arranged and connected through a tetrahedral bonding carbon atom, the spiro center. As a consequence, the polymer chain is periodically zigzagged with a 90° angle at each spiro center. This structural feature minimizes interchain interactions and restricts the close packing of the polymer chains, resulting in amorphous polyimides that have good solubility in organic solvents. Compared with their fluorene‐based cardo analogues, the spirobifluorene‐based polyimides have an improved solubility. Furthermore, the main‐chain rigidity of the polyimide appears to be preserved because of the presence of the spiro structure, which restricts the free segmental mobility. As a result, these polyimides exhibit a high glass‐transition temperature (T_g's) and good thermal stability. The T_g's of these polyimides were in the range of 287–374 °C, and the decomposition temperatures in nitrogen for a 10% weight loss occurred at temperatures above 570 °C. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 3615–3621, 2002