Preparation and characterization of new aromatic poly(ether ester)s bearing cardo xanthene groups

Abstract

A series of new aromatic poly(ether ester)s containing cardo xanthene groups were synthesized by phase transfer–catalyzed interfacial polycondensation of three cardo bisphenols such as 9,9-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)xanthene, 9,9-bis (4-hydroxy-3-methylphenyl)xanthene, and 9,9-bis(4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylphenyl)xanthene with terephthaloyl chloride and isophthaloyl chloride. Inherent viscosities and number average molecular weights of the polymers were in the range 0.56–0.80 dL g−1 and 30,300–36,200, respectively. The resulting poly(ether ester)s exhibited high glass transition temperatures ranged from 208°C to 274°C, and their 10% weight loss temperatures were in the range of 440–458°C with char yields above 45% at 600°C under a nitrogen atmosphere. All the poly(ether ester)s were amorphous and readily soluble in organic solvents such as dichloromethane, chloroform, tetrahydrofuran, meta-cresol, pyridine, N,N-dimethylformamide, N,N-dimethylacetamide, and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone at room temperature and could be cast into tough, transparent, and flexible films with tensile strengths of 68.2–86.8 MPa, elongations at break of 2–3%, and tensile moduli of 5.7–7.8 GPa.