Synthesis and properties of bisphenol A–terphenol poly(arylene ether sulfone)–polydimethylsiloxane segmented block copolymers

We have synthesized new poly(arylene ether sulfone) (PAES) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) segmented block copolymers where the PAES segments contain 20–30% of 4,4′-dihydroxyterphenol (DHTP) and 70–80% of bisphenol A (BA) units. The tensile and thermal properties of these new polymeric materials were measured and were compared to those of existing bisphenol A PAES–PDMS segmented block copolymers (BA PAES-b-PDMS). Also, a high molecular weight BA–DHTP PAES random copolymer containing 80% BA and 20% DHTP was prepared and its properties were compared to Udel®, a commercial PAES based on BA. The BA–DHTP PAES random copolymer had a significantly higher modulus, 1800 MPa and a higher T_g, 196 °C when compared to Udel®. In the segmented block copolymer materials, increased modulus and tensile strain at break (elongation) were also found when DHTP was incorporated into the PAES segments.