| Abstract: | A novel soluble, reactive ladderlike 4,4′‐phenylene ether‐bridged polyvinylsiloxane (L) was synthesized successfully for the first time by a stepwise coupling polymerization (SCP) including hydrolysis and polycondensation. The monomer, 4,4′‐bis(vinyldimethoxysilyl)phenylene ether (M), was synthesized by Grignard reaction. The structures of the monomer and the polymer were characterized by infrared spectrometry (IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR, 13C NMR, 29Si NMR), mass spectrometry (MS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). It is proposed from the characterization data that the polymer possesses an ordered ladderlike structure. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2702–2710, 2000 |
