Synthesis and properties of novel soluble fluorinated aromatic polyamides containing 4-benzoyl-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenoxy pendant groups

A new diaroyl chloride monomer, 5-(4-benzoyl-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenoxy)isophthaloyl dichloride (BTFPIPC), was prepared in a three-step synthesis. Six novel aromatic polyamides containing 4-benzoyl-2,3,5,6-tetrafluorophenoxy pendant groups were synthesized by low temperature polycondensation of BTFPIPC with six aromatic diamines in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc). All these new polymers are amorphous and readily soluble in various dipolar solvents such as DMAc, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at room temperature. These polymers showed glass transition temperatures between 212 and 243 °C and 5% weight loss temperatures ranging from 439 °C to 456 °C. These polyamides could be cast into transparent, flexible and strong films from DMAc solution with tensile strengths of 73.5–85.4 MPa, tensile moduli of 2.06–2.72 GPa, and elongations at break of 6.4–9.3%. These new polyamide films exhibited low dielectric constants of 3.26–3.57 (1 MHz), lower water uptakes in the range of 1.27–2.28%, and excellent transparency with an ultraviolet-visible absorption cut-off wavelength in the 326–373 nm range. Primary characterization of these new polyamides shows that they might serve as new candidates for processable high-performance polymeric materials.