Synthesis and properties of copolymers of poly(ether ketone ketone) and poly(ether amide ether amide ether ketone ketone)

Poly(aryl ether ketone)s (PAEKs) are a class of high‐performance engineering thermoplastics known for their excellent combination of chemical, physical and mechanical properties, and the synthesis of semicrystalline PAEKs with increased glass transition temperatures (T_g) is of much interest. In the work reported, a series of novel copolymers of poly(ether ketone ketone) (PEKK) and poly(ether amide ether amide ether ketone ketone) were synthesized by electrophilic solution polycondensation of terephthaloyl chloride with a mixture of diphenyl ether and N,N′‐bis(4‐phenoxybenzoyl)‐4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl ether (BPBDAE) under mild conditions. The copolymers obtained were characterized using various physicochemical techniques. The copolymers with 10–35 mol% BPBDAE are semicrystalline and have markedly increased T_g over commercially available poly(ether ether ketone) and PEKK due to the incorporation of amide linkages in the main chain. The copolymers with 30–35 mol% BPBDAE not only have high T_g of 178–186 °C, but also moderate melting temperatures of 335–339 °C, having good potential for melt processing. The copolymers with 30–35 mol% BPBDAE have tensile strengths of 102.4–103.8 MPa, Young's moduli of 2.33–2.45 GPa and elongations at break of 11.7–13.2%, and exhibit high thermal stability and good resistance to organic solvents. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis and characterization of organo‐soluble poly(ether ether ketone)s and poly(ether ether ketone ketone)s containing pendant pentadecyl chains

Poly(ether ether ketone)s and poly(ether ether ketone ketone)s containing pendant pentadecyl chains were synthesized by polycondensation of each of the two bisphenol monomers viz, 1,1,1‐[bis(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐4′‐pentadecylphenyl]ethane and 1,1‐bis(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐3‐pentadecyl cyclohexane with activated aromatic dihalides namely, 4,4′‐difluorobenzophenone, and 1,3‐bis(4‐fluorobenzoyl)benzene in a solvent mixture of N,N‐dimethylacetamide and toluene, in the presence of anhydrous potassium carbonate. Polymers were isolated as white fibrous materials with inherent viscosities and number average molecular weights in the range 0.70–1.27 dL g^?1 and 76,620–1,36,720, respectively. Poly(ether ether ketone)s and poly(ether ether ketone ketone)s were found to be soluble at room temperature in organic solvents such as chloroform, dichloromethane, tetrahydrofuran, and pyridine and could be cast into tough, transparent, and flexible films from their solutions in chloroform. Wide angle X‐ray diffraction patterns exhibited a broad halo at around 2θ = ～ 19° indicating that the polymers containing pentadecyl chains were amorphous in nature. In the small‐angle region, diffuse reflections of a typically layered structures resulting from the packing of pentadecyl side chains were observed. The temperature at 10% weight loss, obtained from TG curves, for poly(ether ether ketone)s and poly(ether ether ketone ketone)s were in the range 416–459°C, indicating their good thermal stability. A substantial drop in glass transition temperatures (68–78°C) was observed for poly(ether ether ketone)s and poly(ether ether ketone ketone)s due to “internal plasticization” effect of flexible pendant pentadecyl chains. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Poly(ether ether sulfone amide)s as a new category of processable heat-resistant polymers

The aim of study was to prepare novel polyamides with improved solubility and processability without sacrifice of their thermal and mechanical properties. Polyamides containing ether and sulfone units were obtained via condensation of a special diamine with various diacid chlorides. Poly(ether ether sulfone amide)s were obtained in good inherent viscosities ranging from 0.72 to 0.84 dL/g. All the polyamides were amorphous and readily soluble in polar solvents and swelled in CH₂Cl₂ and tetrahydrofuran. Flexible films of polymers were obtained by solution casting. Polyamide films exhibited good mechanical and thermal stability including the temperature for 10% weight loss of 449–476 °C.     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(ether amide ether ketone)/poly(ether ketone ketone) copolymers

A new monomer, N,N′‐bis(4‐phenoxybenzoyl)‐m‐phenylenediamine (BPPD), was prepared by condensation of m‐phenylenediamine with 4‐phenoxybenzoyl chloride in N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc). A series of novel poly(ether amide ether ketone) (PEAEK)/poly(ether ketone ketone) (PEKK) copolymers were synthesized by the electrophilic Friedel‐Crafts solution copolycondensation of terephthaloyl chloride (TPC) with a mixture of diphenyl ether (DPE) and BPPD, over a wide range of DPE/BPPD molar ratios, in the presence of anhydrous AlCl₃ and N‐methylpyrrolidone (NMP) in 1,2‐dichloroethane (DCE). The influence of reaction conditions on the preparation of copolymers was examined. The copolymers obtained were characterized by different physicochemical techniques. The copolymers with 10–25 mol % BPPD were semicrystalline and had remarkably increased T_gs over commercially available PEEK and PEKK due to the incorporation of amide linkages in the main chains. The copolymers III and IV with 20–25 mol % BPPD had not only high T_gs of 184–188°C, but also moderate T_ms of 323–344°C, having good potential for the melt processing. The copolymers III and IV had tensile strengths of 103.7–105.3 MPa, Young's moduli of 3.04–3.11 GPa, and elongations at break of 8–9% and exhibited outstanding thermal stability and good resistance to organic solvents. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Synthesis and properties of novel phosphorus‐containing poly(ether ether ketone ketone)s

A novel monomer, bis[4‐(4‐fluorobenzoyl)phenyl]phenylphosphine oxide, was synthesized through the reaction of bis(4‐chloroformylphenyl) phenyl phosphine oxide with fluorobenzene. Three poly(ether ether ketone ketone)s derived from bis[4‐(4‐fluorobenzoyl)phenyl]phenylphosphine oxide and different aromatic bisphenols were prepared by aromatic nucleophilic substitution reactions. The resulting polymers had inherent viscosities in the range of 0.55–0.73 dL/g. The structures of the poly(ether ether ketone ketone)s were characterized with Fourier transform infrared and ¹H‐NMR. Thermal analysis indicated that the glass‐transition temperatures of the poly(ether ether ketone ketone)s were higher than 200°C, and the 5% weight loss temperatures in nitrogen were higher than 463°C. All the polymers showed excellent solubility in polar solvents such as N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone, dimethylformamide, and dimethylacetamide and could also be dissolved in chlorinated methane. The polymers afforded transparent and flexible films by solvent casting. Organic phosphorous moieties also imparted good flame‐retardancy to the polymers. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Synthesis and characterization of polyimides based on isopropylidene-containing bis(ether anhydride)s

Two bis(ether anhydride)s, 4,4′-[1,4-phenylenebis(isopropylidene-1,4-phenyleneoxy)]-diphthalic anhydride (IV _a) and 4,4′-[isopropylidenebis(1,4-phenylene)dioxy]diphthalic anhydride (IV _b), were prepared in three steps starting from the nucleophilic nitrodisplacement reaction of 4-nitrophthalonitrile with α,α ′-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,4-diisopropylbenzene (I _a) and 4,4′-isopropylidenediphenol (I _b) in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) in the presence of potassium carbonate. The bis(ether anhydride)s IV _a and IV _b were polymerized with various aromatic diamines to obtain two series of poly(ether amic acid)s VI _a–g and VII _a–g with inherent viscosities in the range of 0.30∼0.74 and 0.29∼1.01 dL/g, respectively. The poly(ether amic acid)s were converted to poly(ether imide)s VIII _a–g and IX _a–g by thermal cyclodehydration. Most of the poly(ether imide)s could afford flexible and tough films, and they showed high solubility in polar solvents such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), N,N-dimethylacetamide, and m-cresol. The obtained poly(ether imide) films had tensile strengths of 45∼83 MPa, elongations-to-break of 6∼27%, and initial modulus of 0.6∼1.7 GPa. The T_gs of poly(ether imide)s VIII _a–g and IX _a–g were in the range of 194∼210 and 204∼243 °C, respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) showed that 10% weight loss temperatures of all the polymers were above 500 °C in both air and nitrogen atomspheres.     

Preparation and Properties of Soluble,Thermally Stable Poly(Silyl ether amide)s and Related Silica Nanocomposites

Soluble poly(silyl ether amide)s and related nanocomposites with improved thermally stability was prepared. For this, a diamine was prepared through reaction of para-aminophenol with dichlorodiphenylsilane. Structure of diamine was confirmed with conventional spectroscopic methods. Poly(silyl ether amide)s was synthesized through polycondensation of diamine with different diacid chlorides. Properties of poly(silyl ether amide)s comprising thermal behavior, thermal stability, solubility, solution viscosity, and morphology were studied. Polymers showed high thermal stability and good solubility in organic solvents due to their unique structures. Related nanocomposites with different contents of silica nanoparticles (10–40?wt%) were prepared and their properties compared with pristine polyamides.     

Synthesis of biodegradable amino‐acid‐based poly(ester amide)s and poly(ether ester amide)s with pendant functional groups

A new family of biodegradable amino‐acid‐based poly(ester amide)s (AA–PEAs) and amino‐acid‐based poly(ether ester amide)s (AA–PEEAs) consisting of reactive pendant functional groups (? COOH or ? NH₂) were synthesized from unsaturated AA–PEAs and AA–PEEAs via a thiol–ene reaction in the presence of a radical initiator (2,2′‐azobisisobutyronitrile). The synthetic method was a one‐step reaction with near 100% yields under mild reaction conditions. The resulting functional AA–PEA and AA–PEEA polymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, NMR, and differential scanning calorimetry. These new functional AA–PEA and AA–PEEA derivatives had lower glass‐transition temperatures than the original unsaturated AA–PEA and AA–PEEA polymers, and their solubility in some organic solvents also improved. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Synthesis and properties of poly(arylene ether)s based on 3‐pentadecyl 4,4'‐biphenol

A new biphenol, 3‐pentadecyl 4,4′‐biphenol, was synthesized starting from 3‐pentadecylphenol and was polycondensed with 4,4′‐difluorobenzophenone, 1,3‐bis(4‐fluorobenzoyl)benzene and bis(4‐fluorophenyl)sulfone to obtain poly(arylene ether)s with biphenylene linkages in the backbone and pendent pentadecyl chains. Inherent viscosities and number‐average molecular weights (M_n) of the poly(arylene ether)s were in the range 0.50 ? 0.81 dL g^?1 and 2.2 × 10⁴ ? 8.3 × 10⁴, respectively. Detailed NMR spectroscopic studies of the poly(arylene ether)s indicated the presence of constitutional isomerism which existed because of the non‐symmetrical structure of 3‐pentadecyl 4,4′‐biphenol. The poly(arylene ether)s readily dissolved in common organic solvents such as dichloromethane, chloroform and tetrahydrofuran and could be cast into tough, transparent and flexible films from their chloroform solutions. The poly(arylene ether)s exhibited T_g values in the range 35–60 °C which are lower than that of reference poly(arylene ether)s without pentadecyl chains. The 10% decomposition temperatures (T₁₀) of the poly(arylene ether)s were in the range 410–455 °C indicating their good thermal stability. A gas permeation study of poly(ether sulfone) containing pendent pentadecyl chains revealed a moderate increase in permeability for helium, hydrogen and oxygen. However, there was a large increase in permeability for carbon dioxide which could be attributed to the internal plasticization effect of pendent pentadecyl chains. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry     

Fine poly(ether ether ketone) powders

The physical form of polymers is often important for carrying out subsequent processing operations. For example, fine powders are desirable for molding and sintering compounds because they consolidate to produce void free components. The objective of this work is to prepare fine polymeric particulates suitable for processing into fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites. Micron size particles of poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) were prepared by rapidly quenching solutions of these materials. PEEK pellets were dissolved at temperatures near the PEEK melting point in a mixture of terphenyls and quaterphenyls; then the solution was quenched to a temperature between the T_g and T_m (≈ 225°C) by adding a room temperature eutectic mixture of diphenyl ether and biphenyl. A supersaturated, metastable solution of PEEK resulted, causing rapid nucleation. Fine PEEK particles rapidly crystallized from this solution. The average particle size was measured using transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and by light scattering of aqueous suspensions which had been fractionated by centrifugation. The average particle diameter was about 0.6 μm. Three dimensional photomicrographs obtained via atomic force microscopy showed some aggregates in the suspensions. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 63: 1571–1578, 1997     

Synthesis and properties of copolymers of poly(ether ether sulfone)/semiaromatic polyamides (PEES/PA)

Poly(ether ether sulfone) (PEES) containing semi‐aromatic polyamides with methylene units and ether linkage were synthesized through the copolymerization of m‐dihydroxybenzene, 4,4‐dichlorodiphenylsulfone (DCDPS) and 1,6‐N, N′‐bis(4‐fluorobenzamide) hexane (BFBH) by the method of nucleophilic polymerization. The inherent viscosities of the resultant different proportion of copolymers were in the range of 0.39–0.78 dL/g. These copolymers were found to have excellent thermal properties with glass transition temperatures (T_g) of 121–177°C, and initial degradation temperatures (T_d) of 417.5–432.5°C. These copolymers showed good mechanical properties with tensile strengths of 45–83 MPa, storage modulus of 1.8–2.6 GPa. The complex viscosities of pure Poly(ether ether sulfone) (PEES) was in the range of 176,000–309.8 Pas from 0.01 to 100 Hz, the complex viscosities of the copolymers decreased significantly with the increase of semi‐aromatic amide content, the copolymers of 20% decreased from 4371 to 142.4 Pas (from 0.01 to 100 Hz), and the copolymers of 70% dropped from 634.6 Pas to 55.97 Pas (from 0.01 Hz to 100 Hz). All copolymers exhibited non‐Newtonian and shear‐thinning behavior. These results suggested the resultant copolymers possess better melt flowability that is beneficial for the materials’ melt processing. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 56:44–50, 2016. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Synthesis and properties of poly(aryl ether ketone ketone)/poly(aryl ether ether ketone ketone) copolymers with pendant cyano groups

2,6‐Diphenoxybenzonitrile (DPOBN) was synthesized by reaction of phenol with 2,6‐difluorobenzonitrile in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone in the presence of KOH and K₂CO₃. Poly(aryl ether ketone ketone)/poly(aryl ether ether ketone ketone) copolymers with pendant cyano groups were prepared by the Friedel–Crafts electrophilic substitution reaction of terephthaloyl chloride with varying mole proportions of diphenyl ether and DPOBN using 1,2‐dichloroethane as solvent and N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone as Lewis base in the presence of anhydrous AlCl₃. The resulting polymers were characterized by various analytical techniques, such as FT‐IR, differential scanning calorimeter, thermal gravimetric analysis, and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction. The crystallinity and melting temperature of the polymers were found to decrease with increase in concentration of the DPOBN units in the polymer. Thermogravimetric studies showed that all the polymers were stable up to 514°C in N₂ atmosphere. The glass transition temperature was found to increase with increase in concentration of the DPOBN units in the polymer when the molar ratios of DPOBN to DPE ranged from 10/90 to 30/70. The copolymers containing 30–40 mol % of the DPOBN units exhibit excellent thermostability at (350 ± 10)°C and have good resistance to acidity, alkali, and organic solvents. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 3601–3606, 2007     

Synthesis of soluble and thermally stable poly[arylene ether amide (N‐arylenebenzimidazole)]s

Poly(arylene ether)s containing N‐arylenebenzimidazole and amide groups were prepared using an aromatic nucleophilic displacement reaction that replaced the N‐H sites from four different bis(benzimidazolyl) derivatives with activated aromatic difluorides containing ether and amide groups in sulfolane. The reaction was carried out at 210 °C in the presence of anhydrous potassium carbonate. The structures of the polymers were characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared, ¹H NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis, and the results were largely consistent with the proposed structure. All resulting polymers showed an essentially amorphous nature. This was consistent with the calculated results. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric measurements showed that the polymers had high glass transition temperatures (>190 °C), good thermostability and high decomposition temperatures (>400 °C). These novel polymers also showed easy solubility. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Poly(ether urethane)s from aromatic diisocyanates based on lignin‐derived phenolic acids

A series of new bio‐based aromatic diisocyanates, namely bis(4‐isocyanato‐2‐methoxyphenoxy)alkane and bis(4‐isocyanato‐2,6‐dimethoxyphenoxy)alkane, were synthesized starting from lignin‐derived phenolic acids, namely vanillic acid and syringic acid, via the Curtius rearrangement. The diisocyanates were employed to synthesize poly(ether urethane)s by reacting them with potentially bio‐based aliphatic diols, namely 1,10‐decanediol and 1,12‐dodecanediol. The chemical structures of diisocyanates and poly(ether urethane)s were confirmed using Fourier transform infrared, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. Inherent viscosities and number‐average molecular weights of the poly(ether urethane)s were in the ranges 0.58–0.68 dL g^?1 and 32 100–58 500 g mol^?1, respectively, indicating the formation of reasonably high molecular weight polymers. The poly(ether urethane)s exhibited 10% weight loss in the temperature range 304–308 °C. The glass transition temperatures of the poly(ether urethane)s were in the range 49–74 °C and were dependent both on the number of methylene units in the diols and on the number of methoxy substituents on the aromatic rings of the diisocyanate component. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry     

Novel copoly(ether ether ketone)s with pendant phenyl groups: synthesis and characterization

In order to obtain poly(ether ether ketone)s having enhanced solubility and processability without extreme loss of other properties, a series of copoly(ether ether ketone)s (Co‐PEEKs) with pendant phenyl groups were synthesized from 1,1‐bi(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐1‐phenylethane (ph‐BPA), hydroquinone and 4,4′‐difluorobenzophenone via aromatic nucleophilic substitution reaction. The structures and properties of the Co‐PEEKs were characterized using Fourier transform infrared and ¹H NMR spectroscopies, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction and solubility testing. These Co‐PEEKs have inherent viscosities in the range 0.14–1.09 dL g^?1, and their number‐average and weight‐average molecular weights reach 72 659 and 163 400 g mol^?1, respectively. The Co‐PEEK with the lowest content of ph‐BPA has a semi‐crystalline nature and is only soluble in 98% sulfuric acid. However, with an increase of ph‐BPA in the Co‐PEEKs, they become amorphous and readily soluble in a wide range of organic solvents and can afford tough films. These Co‐PEEKs have glass transition temperatures of 137–180 °C depending on the content of ph‐BPA. All the Co‐PEEKs have initial degradation temperatures above 480 °C in nitrogen atmosphere. Thus, these Co‐PEEKs with excellent thermal stability, good solubility and processability have potential for use in high‐performance films, coatings, hollow fiber membranes, etc. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis and properties of organosoluble poly(ether imide)s containing 4,4′(octahydro-4,7-methano-5H-inden-5-ylidene) cardo group

A series of organosoluble aromatic poly(ether imide)s (PEIs) VIIa-k were synthesized from 4,4′-[(octahydro-4,7-methano-5H-inden-5-ylidene)bis(1,4-phenylene)dioxy] diphthalic dianhydride (IV) and various aromatic diamines. PEIs synthesized through two-stage polymerization had inherent viscosities of 0.51–0.64 dL/g. This series of polymers could also be synthesized from IV and diamines in a small amount of refluxing m-cresol in a one-step process and had inherent viscosities of 0.65–0.87 dL/g. For the low melting point diamines (Vj and Vk), polymers could be obtained by bulk polymerization and had inherent viscosities of 0.36 and 0.41 dL/g. Polymers showed good organosolubility and could be cast into transparent, flexible, and tough polyimide films with good tensile properties. These PEIs had glass transition temperatures among 203–281°C. Thermogravimetric analyses established that these polymers were fairly stable up to 430°C, and the 10% weight loss temperatures were recorded in the range of 473–503°C in nitrogen and 481–512°C in air atmosphere. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 73: 987–996, 1999     

Synthesis of novel poly(ether ketone diphenyl ketone ether ketone ketone)s by electrophilic Friedel–Crafts solution polycondensation

4,4′‐Bis(4‐phenoxybenzoyl)diphenyl was prepared by the Friedel–Crafts reaction of 4‐bromobenzoyl chloride and diphenyl followed by condensation with potassium phenoxide. Novel aromatic poly(ether ketone diphenyl ketone ether ketone ketone)s were obtained by the electrophilic Friedel–Crafts solution copolycondensation of 4,4′‐bis(4‐phenoxybenzoyl)diphenyl with a mixture of isophthaloyl chloride and terephthaloyl chloride over a wide range of isophthaloyl chloride/terephthaloyl chloride molar ratios in the presence of anhydrous aluminum chloride and N‐methylpyrrolidone in 1,2‐dichloroethane. The influence of the reaction conditions on the preparation of the copolymers was examined. The copolymers were characterized with different physicochemical techniques. Because of the incorporation of diphenyl, the resulting copolymers exhibited outstanding thermal stability. The glass‐transition temperatures were above 174°C, the melting temperatures were above 342°C, and the 5% weight loss temperatures were above 544°C in nitrogen. All these copolymers were semicrystalline and insoluble in organic solvents. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Processable high Tg high strength fluorinated new poly(arylene ether)s containing imido aryl group

A series of poly(arylene ether)s ( 7a–7f ) were successfully synthesized by aromatic nucleophilic substitution reactions of imidoaryl biphenol (5), 4,9‐bis‐(4‐hydroxy‐phenyl)‐2‐phenyl‐benzo[f]isoindole‐1,3‐dione with six different trifluoromethyl substituted bisfluoro monomers ( 6a–6f ). The weight‐average molar masses of the polymers were up to 280 kD as measured by GPC. These poly(arylene ether)s exhibited glass transition temperatures up to 361°C in DSC. These polymers showed very high thermal stability up to 558°C for 10% weight loss under synthetic air in TGA. Except 7d–7f, remaining polymers 7a–7c were soluble in a wide range of organic solvents. Transparent thin films of these polymers cast from DCM or NMP exhibited tensile strengths up to 75 MPa and elongation at break up to 41% depending on their exact repeating unit structures. These poly(arylene ether)s showed cut‐off wavelength in between 400 and 450 nm except 7d and water absorption were in the range of 0.4 to 0.6%. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Compatibility studies of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone)–poly(ether imide)–polycarbonate ternary blends

Binary blends of the sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK)–poly(ether imide) (PEI) and SPEEK–polycarbonate (PC), and ternary blends of the SPEEK–PEI–PC, were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry. SPEEK was obtained by sulfonation of poly(ether ether ketone) using 95% sulfuric acid. From the thermal analysis of the SPEEK–PEI blends, single glass transition temperature (T_g) was observed at all the blend composition. For the SPEEK–PC blends, double T_gs were observed. From the results of thermal analysis, it is suggested that the SPEEK–PEI blends are miscible and the SPEEK–PC blends are immiscible. Polymer–polymer interaction parameter (χ₁₂) of the SPEEK–PEI blends was calculated from the modified Lu and Weiss equation, and found to range from −0.011 to −0.825 with the blend composition. For the SPEEK–PC blends, the χ₁₂ values were calculated from the modified Flory–Huggins equation, and found to range from 0.191 to 0.272 with the blend composition. For the SPEEK–PEI–PC ternary blends, phase separation regions that showed two T_gs were found to be consistent with the spinodal curves calculated from the χ₁₂ values of the three binary blends. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 78: 2488–2494, 2000     

Synthesis and properties of novel copolymers of poly(ether ketone diphenyl ketone ether ketone ketone) and poly(ether amide ether amide ether ketone ketone)

New monomers, 4,4′‐bis(4‐phenoxybenzoyl)diphenyl (BPOBDP) and N,N′‐bis(4‐phenoxybenzoyl)?4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl ether (BPBDAE), were conveniently synthesized via simple synthetic procedures from readily available materials. Novel copolymers of poly(ether ketone diphenyl ketone ether ketone ketone) (PEKDKEKK) and poly(ether amide ether amide ether ketone ketone) (PEAEAEKK) were synthesized by electrophilic Friedel‐Crafts solution copolycondensation of isophthaloyl chloride (IPC) with a mixture of BPOBDP and BPBDAE, over a wide range of BPOBDP/BPBDAE molar ratios, in the presence of anhydrous AlCl₃ and N‐methylpyrrolidone (NMP) in 1,2‐dichloroethane (DCE). The copolymers obtained were characterized by different physico‐chemical techniques. The copolymers with 10–40 mol% BPBDAE are semicrystalline and had remarkably increased T_gs over commercially available PEEK and PEKK due to the incorporation of amide and diphenyl linkages in the main chains. The copolymers IV and V with 30–40 mol% BPBDAE had not only high T_gs of 185–188°C, but also moderate T_ms of 326–330°C, having good potential for the melt processing. The copolymers IV and V had tensile strengths of 101.7–102.3 MPa, Young's moduli of 2.19–2.42 GPa, and elongations at break of 13.2–16.6% and exhibited high thermal stability and excellent resistance to organic solvents. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:1757–1764, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers