Sulfonation of poly(ether ether ketone)(PEEK): Kinetic study and characterization

Hydrophobic poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK) were modified by sulfonation at different temperatures (22, 36, 45, and 55°C) and varying period of time with concentrated sulfuric acid used as solvent. A kinetic study was carried out based on the assumption that sulfonation reaction is a second-order reaction, which takes place preferentially in the aromatic ring between the two ether ( O ) links (the first type substitution), and there is only one substituent attached to each repeat unit of the PEEK before the complete substitution of this preferred aromatic ring. More than 100% substitution was observed in experiment. All the data with substitution degree less than 95% agree fairly well with the kinetic behavior of the second-order reaction. The reaction rate coefficient and activation energy for first type substitution were obtained. The sulfonated PEEK samples were characterized in terms of ion-exchange capacity (IEC), ¹H-NMR, contact angle, and solubility. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 2651–2660, 2001