Synthesis and characterization of new cardo poly(bisbenzothiazole)s from 1,1‐bis(4‐amino‐3‐mercaptophenyl)‐4‐tert‐butylcyclohexane dihydrochloride

A new monomer 1,1‐bis(4‐amino‐3‐mercaptophenyl)‐4‐tert‐butylcyclohexane dihydrochloride, bearing the bulky pendant 4‐tert‐butylcyclohexylidene group, was synthesized from 4‐tert‐butylcyclohexanone in three steps. Its chemical structure was characterized by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, MS, FTIR, and EA. Aromatic poly(bisbenzothiazole)s (PBTs V) were prepared from the new monomer and five aromatic dicarboxylic acids by direct polycondensation. The inherent viscosities were in the range of 0.63–2.17 dL/g. These polymers exhibited good solubility and thermal stability. Most of the prepared PBTs V were soluble in various polar solvents. Thermogravimetric analysis showed the decomposition temperatures at 10% weight loss that were in the range of 495–534°C in nitrogen. All the PBTs V, characterized by X‐ray diffraction, were amorphous. The UV absorption spectra of PBTs V showed a range of λ_max from 334 to 394 nm. All the PBTs V prepared had evident fluorescence emission peaks, ranging from 423 to 475 nm with different intensity. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 2000–2008, 2006