Synthesis and characterization of fully aromatic thermotropic liquid‐crystalline copolyesters containing m‐hydroxybenzoic acid units

A series of fully aromatic copolyesters based on p‐acetoxybenzoic acid (p‐ABA), hydroquinone diacetate (HQDA), terephthalic acid (TPA), and m‐acetoxybenzoic acid (m‐ABA) were prepared by a modified melt‐polycondensation reaction. The copolyesters were characterized by DSC, thermogravimetric analysis, ¹H NMR, polarized optical microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and intrinsic viscosity measurements. The copolyesters exhibited nematic liquid‐crystalline phases in a broad temperature range of about 150 °C, when the content of linear (p‐ABA, HQDA, and TPA) units was over 67 mol %. DSC analysis of the anisotropic copolyesters revealed broad endotherms associated with the nematic phases, and the melting or flow temperatures were found to be in the processable region. The flow temperatures and crystal‐to‐nematic and nematic‐to‐isotropic transitions depend on the type of linear monomer units, and these transitions increased as the content of the p‐ABA units increased, as compared to the HQDA/TPA units. When the content of the p‐ABA units increased, as compared to other linear units (HQDA and TPA), the intrinsic viscosity and degree of crystallinity of the copolyesters also increased, implying a higher reactivity for p‐ABA in the p‐ABA/HQDA/TPA/m‐ABA polymer system. The aromatic region in the ¹H NMR spectra of the copolyesters containing equal molar compositions of p‐ABA, HQDA, and TPA units were sensitive to the sequence distribution of aromatic rings. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3263–3277, 2001     

Extrusion,fiber formation,and characterization of thermotropic copolyesters

The flow behavior and the effect of the spinning conditions on the fiber properties and structure of poly(ethylene terephthalate) modified with 60 mol% p-hydroxybenzoic acid (PET/60PHB) were investigated. PET and its copolyesters with 28 and 80 mol% PHB were used as control samples. The melt of PET/60PHB at temperatures above 265°C exhibited extremely low viscosity and low flow activation energy. High birefringence, indicating the presence of a mesophase, was observed between 265 and 300°C on a hot-stage polarizing light microscope. The maximum tensile strength and initial modulus, 438 MPa and 37 GPa, respectively, were obtained at 275°C for a 0.69 IV polymer. The fiber strength and modulus were significantly lowered when extrusion was conducted at temperatures below 265°C. The fiber properties could also be improved when a high extrusion rate and/or a high draw down ratio was used. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the fibers spun at temperatures above 265°C had a well-developed, highly oriented fibrillar structure. The fibers spun at lower temperatures, however, were poorly oriented and nonfibrillar in character. The high orientation and superior mechanical performance achieved at high temperatures were attributed to the presence of the nematic mesophase in the polymer melt.     

Synthesis and characterization of main-chain thermotropic aromatic polyazomethines with siloxane spacers

New main-chain liquid crystal copolymers have been synthesized in the polyazomethine series from two polycondensation routes (polyhydrosilylation and polyimination). The mesogenic units are separated with siloxane spacers. The obtained copolymers have been characterized by size-exclusion chromatography and NMR and FT-IR spectroscopies; their mesomorphic behavior has been investigated by polarizing microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and RX diffraction. Moreover, when the polycondensation reactions are carried out in solution or when the copolymers are kept in a solvent, we observed the formation of macrocyclic dimers, which have been isolated and characterized.     

Preparation and properties of aromatic polyesters and copolyesters containing phenylindane unit

Aromatic polysters and copolyesters of high molecular weights with phenylindane units were prepared from combinations of 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,1,3-trimethyl-5-indanol and bisphenol A with isophthaloyl and terephthaloyl chloride by two-phase polycondensation in a nitrobenzene-water system with various phase-transfer catalysts. The phenylindane-containing polyesters and copolyesters were amorphous and readily soluble in a wide range of solvents that included chloroform, m-cresol, tetrahydrofuran, and dimethylformamide. The glass transition temperatures of the phenylindane-derived polyisophthalate and polyterephthalate were 235 and 253°C, respectively, which were higher than those of the corresponding bisphenol A analogs by some 50°C. These polymers began to lose weight around 400°C in air and nitrogen atmospheres.     

Synthesis,liquid crystallinity,and mechanical properties of thermotropic polyquinolines

Thermotropic liquid-crystalline polyquinolines with high molecular weights, i.e., poly[2,2′-(α,ω-dioxyphenylene (or -dioxybiphenylene) alkane)-6,6′-(4,4′-dioxybiphenyl)-bis(4-phenylquinoline)]s (P-H-B1Mns or P-H-B2Mns), were synthesized by polycondensation of 4,4′-bis(4-amino-3-benzoylphenoxy)biphenyl and α,ω-bis(4-acetophenoxy (or -acetobiphenoxy))alkanes. For P-H-B1Mn series, the T_m and T_i were in the range of 129–230°C and 156–254°C, respectively, while for the P-H-B2Mn series, those were 182–275°C and 217–309°C, respectively. The introduction of both the dioxybiphenylene group and an alkylene spacer induced thermotropic liquid crystallinity in the polyquinoline, although the introduction of the alkylene spacer alone did not induce it. In addition, polyquinolines substituted with methyl, methoxy, and chloro groups exhibited larger mesophase temperature ranges as well as higher T_ms and T_is than the unsubstituted ones. Tensile strengths of these thermotropic polyquinolines were considerably high in the range of 770 to 1170 kgf/cm². © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 749–759, 1998     

Thermally stable liquid crystalline thermosets based on aromatic copolyesters: Preparation and properties

The synthesis and physical properties are described for a thermally stable liquid crystalline (LC) thermoset based on all aromatic ester units. The persistence of the liquid crystalline phase throughout the curing process was monitored with polarizing optical microscopy. The applicability of these new liquid crystalline thermosets has been evaluated for use as an adhesive for bonding metals, namely titanium. The failure of the adhesive bonds always occurs within the polymer; thus it can be inferred that bonding at the polymer-metal interface is very good. This strong interfacial bonding is attributed to low cure shrinkage and CTE matching of the underlying substrate by the LC resins. The cohesive properties and strength of the cured resin can be greatly enhanced by the addition of filler materials. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35:1061–1067, 1997     

Synthesis of new ordered aromatic polyester copolymers

Aromatic polyesters of 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzoic acid and 3,5-diisopropyl-4-hydroxybenzoic acid were prepared. The polymers were found to be high-melting but largely insoluble in organic solvents. The polymer based on 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxy-benzoic acid was not degraded to monomer by sulfuric acid. A number of new aromatic polyesters were also prepared. Several new monomers for aromatic polyesters were synthesized, including bis(2,5-di-tert-butyl-4-carbophenoxyphenyl)terephthalate, m- and p-phenylene bis(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzoate), bis(2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-chlorocarboxyphenyl)terephthalate, and m-phenylene bis(3,5-diisopropyl-4-hydroxybenzoate). An aromatic polyester prepared from bis(2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-chlorocarboxyphenyl) terephthalate and resorcinol had a η_inh (trichloroethylene) of 1.05 (0.5%, 30°C) and a possible melting point of 330°C (DSC). Tough, creasable films could be cast from trichloroethylene solution of this polymer. Attempts to observe or to trap the keto-ketene that might result when 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzoyl chloride is treated with base were unsuccessful.     

Liquid crystalline properties of a series of thermotropic copolyesters containing both mesogenic and nonmesogenic units

A series of copolymers containing triad ester mesogenic units, with pendent n-octyl substituents, and triad ester nonmesogenic units, both with flexible spacer groups, was prepared and characterized for the effect of the nonmesogenic unit content on transition temperatures and thermodynamic parameters. The mesophase temperature range increased, but temperature, enthalpy, and entropy of isotropization decreased in a linear manner with increasing nonmesogen comonomer content. The entropy of isotropization is considered to be a quantitative measure of the degree of order of the nematic phase, but this order may include both the amount and the order parameter of the mesophase if, as proposed, both the isotropic and nematic phase exist below the isotropization temperatures of the copolymers.     

Structure and temperature behavior of thermotropic liquid-crystalline Ultrax copolyesters

Phase and relaxational transitions in the commercial thermotropic liquid-crystalline copolyesters Ultrax 4002 and Ultrax 4003 were studied by X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and mechanical analysis. In spite of only a slight difference in the compositions of the copolyesters, considerable differences in their structure and temperature behavior were observed. In particular, it was shown that the degree of crystallinity differs by more than a factor of 2 for the as-spun fibers upon annealing above the glass-transition temperature. The type of crystalline structure as well as the ability to crystallize are also different. The glass-transition temperature of both copolyesters is determined as the temperature of the appearance of mobility of the most rigid comonomer units and does not depend on the composition of the materials. Annealed copolyesters are semicrystalline materials with a two-phase structure, where the crystalline phase coexists with a liquid-crystalline one. The structure of the latter is characterized by aperiodic positions of smecticlike layers in space. On heating the materials the crystalline phase is transformed into a pseudohexagonal mesophase indicating features of a second-order phase transition. Received: 20 July 1999 Accepted: 20 August 2000     

Gas transport properties of thermotropic liquid-crystalline copolyesters. I. The effects of orientation and annealing

Gas transport properties are reported for two series of films prepared from copolyesters of 73 mol % hydroxybenzoic acid (HBA) and 27 mol % 2,6-hydroxynaphthoic acid (HNA) which systematically vary the degree of orientation and annealing time. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) photomicrographs of the liquid-crystalline polymer (LCP) films showed evidence of a skin-core structure and polydomain texture. The degree of orientation in the films was quantified by analyzing the azimuthal intensity of the x-ray reflection associated with the lateral packing of the nematic mesophase. Using heat of fusion data from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the films were found to contain low levels of crystallinity estimated to be in the range of 5 to 15 wt %, which increased with annealing time. Permeability measurements were made for He, H₂, O₂, N₂, Ar, and CO₂ at 35°C and the diffusivities were computed from time-lag data. The films exhibited excellent barrier properties resulting largely from very low gas solubility coefficients. A moderate reduction in permeability was observed with increased orientation, which could be attributed directly to a decrease in the effective diffusivity. The effect of increased crystallinity from annealing on the permeability coefficients was smaller than would be expected for similar changes in the crystallinity of conventional polymers. Analysis using a simple two-phase model suggests that a mechanism dominated by transport in a small volume fraction of boundary regions possibly could account for the bulk transport properties of these materials.     

Processing of aromatic thermosetting copolyesters into foams and bulk parts: characterization and mechanical properties

Fully dense sheets of aromatic thermosetting copolyester (ATSP) have been produced by blending ATSP oligomers, curing the blend to produce foam, grinding the cured material to a powder, followed by sintering of the cured powers via hot press. The resulting product possesses an excellent combination of mechanical strength and high‐temperature performance to help improve part functionality, gain long‐term reliability, and cost savings. Dynamic mechanical analysis of this system featured a glass transition higher than most available performance thermosets and thermoplastic polymers or reversible bonding polymer system described in literature. Compression and tensile properties of the foam and fully dense ATSP structures exceed those of most engineering polymers. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and properties of cyclic diester based aliphatic copolyesters

Melt polycondensation was used to prepare a systematic series of random and amorphous copolyesters using the following cycloaliphatic diesters: dimethyl‐1,4‐cyclohexane dicarboxylate (DMCD), dimethyl bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane‐1,4‐dicarboxylate (DMCD‐1), dimethyl bicyclo[2.2.2]octane‐1,4‐dicarboxylate (DMCD‐2), dimethyl bicyclo[3.2.2]nonane‐1,5‐dicarboxylate (DMCD‐3), 1,4‐dimethoxycarbonyl‐1,4‐dimethylcyclohexane (DMCD‐M) and the aliphatic diols: ethylene glycol (EG) and 1,4‐cyclohexane dimethanol (CHDM). The polymer compositions were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and the molecular weights were determined using size exclusion chromatography (SEC). The polyesters were characterized by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The copolyester based on DMCD‐2 was observed to have a higher glass transition temperature (T_g up to 115 °C) than the other copolyesters of this study. For poly[x(DMCD‐2)y(DMCD) 30(EG)70(CHDM)], T_g increases linearly with increase of DMCD‐2 mole content. DMA showed that all of the cycloaliphatic copolyesters have secondary relaxations, resulting from the conformational transitions of the cyclohexylene rings. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 2162–2169, 2010     

Thermal properties of some fully aromatic thermotropic liquid crystal polyesters

Wholly aromatic liquid crystalline main chain polyesters derived from terephthalic acid, phenyl- or (1-phenylethyl)hydroquinone modified with either 3,4′- or 4,4′-dicarboxydiphenylether and p-hydroxybenzoic acid, have been prepared by acidolysis and thermally investigated. All prepared polyesters exhibit excellent thermal stability up to about 400°C, however, the (1-phenylethyl)hydroquinone polyesters generally showed lower stability. Melting points could be decreased to around 200°C without any decrease in the thermal stability or the nematic range.     

Novel random poly(propylene isophthalate/adipate) copolyesters: Synthesis and characterization

Poly(propylene adipate) (PPA) and poly(propylene isophthalate/adipate) (PPI-PPA) random copolymers of various compositions were synthesized in bulk and characterized in terms of chemical structure and molecular weight. Furthermore, the thermal behavior was examined by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. All the polymers showed a good thermal stability. At room temperature they appeared as semicrystalline materials, except the copolymers containing 20 and 30 mol% of PI units: the main effect of copolymerization was a lowering in the amount of crystallinity and a decrease of melting temperature with respect to homopolymers. The crystalline phase of PPI and PPA was evidenced at high content of propylene isophthalate or propylene adipate units, respectively. Amorphous samples were obtained after melt quenching and an increment of T_g as the content of PI units is increased was observed. This behavior was explained as due to the stiff phenylene groups in the polymeric chain. The Wood equation was found to describe well T_g-composition data. Lastly, the presence of a rigid-amorphous phase was evidenced in the copolymers, differently from PPA homopolymer.     

Crystal solvates of thermotropic alkylenearomatic copolyesters and poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) with N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide

The dissolution of thermotropic alkylenearomatic LC copolyesters and isotropic poly(m-phenyleneisophthalamide) in a high-polarity donor solvent, N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide, has been studied. It has been demonstrated that N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide shows high dissolving power with respect to hydrophobic synthetic polymers. In this case, the dissolution of the polymers is accompanied by the formation of crystal solvates of different compositions. With the use of polarization microscopy, DSC, and X-ray diffraction, the stages of formation of crystal solvates have been examined and the phase equilibrium in systems containing crystal solvates has been investigated. Special attention is given to the structural and morphological features of such heterophase systems.     

Gas transport properties of thermotropic liquid-crystalline copolyesters. II. The effects of copolymer composition

Gas transport properties are reported for a series of compression-molded films prepared from copolyesters of hydroxybenzoic acid (HBA) and 2,6 hydroxynaphthoic acid (HNA) having 30/70, 58/42, 73/27, 75/25, and 80/20 mol % HBA/HNA. The mesomorphic and crystalline morphology of the materials was characterized using dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray diffraction As evidenced by DMTA, the phenyl and naphthyl moieties of the HBA/HNA materials exhibit a significant degree of segmental mobility below the glass transition temperature. The nonlinear nature of the naphthyl unit leads to a more hindered rotation about the chain axis. Permeability measurements were made for He, H₂, O₂, N₂, Ar, and CO₂ at 35°C and the diffusivities were computed from time-lag data. As previously observed in these materials, the films exhibited excellent barrier properties resulting largely from very low gas solubility coefficients. The liquid-crystalline copolyester: (LCP) materials with the highest HNA content exhibit the best barrier properties. It appears that the more hindered motions of the naphthyl unit restrict penetrant mobility. The reduction in permeability with increased naphthyl unit content is accompanied by a very dramatic increase in selectivity between gas pairs. Fractional free volume analysis was used to correlate the transport properties of the LCP materials and other conventional polymers. A “two-phase” modification of the free volume correlation suggests that transport may likely occur in a small volume fraction of a less dense boundary phase.     

Synthesis,structure, and properties of aromatic polysulfides

Polycondensation of haloaromatics and sodium sulfide has been studied. An increase in reactivity of functional groups, a change of the composition of the elementary polymeric unit with a change of the relative amounts of the monomers, and a key role of side-reactions, i.e. intra(molecular) and macrocyclisation, have been revealed. Low-melting isomeric poly(phenylene sulfides), as well as their derivatives, reactive telechelic oligomers, have been prepared. New methods of preparation of poly(arene sulfides) by transarylation of diphenyl sulfide, polymerisation of cyclic aromatic sulfides, or by direct polycondensation of arenes with sulfur under the action of AlCl₃, as well as by polycondensation of aniline with sulfur in the absence of catalysts have been suggested. Structures and properties of newly prepared polymers have been studied.     

Synthesis of thermotropic LCPs using p‐methoxycarbonyloxy aromatic acids

4‐Methoxycarbonyloxybenzoic acid (MCOBA) and 6‐methoxycarbonyloxy‐2‐naphthoic acid (MCONA) were synthesized as new monomers to replace 4‐acetoxybenzoic acid (ABA) and 6‐acetoxy‐2‐naphthoic acid (ANA) in the synthesis of liquid crystal polymers. MCOBA and MCONA (73 : 27, mol : mol) were reacted at temperatures ranging from 220 to 325°C in bulk. The copolymer (M_w = 14,200) has a T_g (90°C) and a T_m (249°C). The MCOBA/MCONA copolymer is lighter in color than the ABA/ANA copolymer. During the copolymerization, six by‐products were collected, isolated, and analyzed, and their formation was investigated. The copolymerization rate was studied by the measurement of evolved carbon dioxide. The polymerization of MCOBA and MCONA is cleaner and faster than the polymerization of ABA and ANA. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1703–1707, 1999     

Synthesis of thermotropic liquid crystal polyimide and its properties

Thermotropic liquid crystal polyimide which has neither an ester linkage nor a carbonate linkage was prepared by the polymerization of 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PMDA) and 1,3-bis[4-(4′-aminophenoxy)cumyl)]benzene (BACB). This polyimide shows the liquid crystal phase at 549-593 K. Mixing this liquid crystal polyimide or copolymerizing BACB decreases the melt viscosity of the thermoplastic polyimide (Aurum). © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel poly(propylene terephthalate-co-adipate) biodegradable random copolyesters

Novel aromatic/aliphatic poly(propylene terephthalate-co-adipate) (PPTAd) random copolymers were synthesized. Copolymer composition varied over the whole range from that of neat poly(propylene terephthalate) (PPT) to that of neat poly(propylene adipate) (PPAd). Interestingly, the copolymers showed that they can degrade via hydrolysis, especially in presence of enzymes, even for a terephthalate content as high as 66 mol%. Thermal behaviour and solid state as well as mechanical properties were studied. In contrast to hydrolysis rates, mechanical properties increase with terephthalate content. WAXD patterns indicate some extent of co-crystallization of both comonomers, especially for intermediate compositions. The thermodynamic analysis of the melting point depression showed that some portion of the adipate comonomer units participate in the formation of crystals, although the major portion of them is rejected from crystals and remain in the amorphous phase. WAXD patterns showed that even for a 60 mol% or more adipate content, the copolymers form PPT like crystals. Thus, the amorphous phase is enriched in adipate units, as is also shown by a lowering of the glass transition temperature of the crystallized copolymer samples, compared to glassy ones. Finally, multiple melting behaviour of the melt crystallized copolymer samples, as well as, banded spherulitic morphology was observed.