Crosslinkable poly(aryl ether ketone)s containing pendant phenylethynyl moieties: Synthesis, characterization and properties

A novel phenylethynyl-contained bisphenol monomer, (2,5-dihydroxyphenyl)(4-(2-phenylethynyl)phenyl)methanone (PEBP), has been synthesized and characterized. The resultant monomer was copolymerized with hydroquinone and 4,4′-difluorobenzophenone by means of an aromatic nucleophilic substitution reaction to provide a series of crosslinkable poly(aryl ether ketone)s containing pendant phenylethynyl moieties (PE-PAEKs). The solubility of PE-PAEKs tended to be improved with the increase in PEBP content. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) results showed that introduction of bulky pendant groups into molecular chains led to decrease in crystallinity. PE-PAEKs were successfully cured upon heating. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) results indicated that the glass-transition temperature (T_g) of the cured PE-PAEKs was increased. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results implied that the thermal stability of the cured PE-PAEKs was excellent.