High performance polymers

A series of novel biphenols and activated aromatic difluorides of general structure 1 and 2, respectively, were prepared employing readily available starting materials and reagents. These monomers were subsequently polymerized by nucleophilic aromatic substitution using anhydrous potassium carbonate as base in a dipolar aprotic solvent (equation 1)* to afford a series of high molecular weight (inherent viscosity = 0.5-1.24 dl/g) poly(aryl ether)s of the type 3 which exhibit high glass transition temperatures (160-314$ sp circ$C) and exceptional thermo-oxidative stability ($-$10% weight loss in the range 500-560$ sp circ$C). Most of these materials are readily soluble in common organic solvents such as methylene chloride and chloroform, allowing for facile solution processing to afford tough and flexible films. We also synthesized polymers from aromatic difluorides 2 which contain a moiety Y which can be cross-linked thermally. The resulting poly(aryl ether)s can be rendered solvent-resistant by heating. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) ftn*Please refer to dissertation for diagram