9,10-Diphenylanthracene-containing poly(arylene ether sulfone)s with improved glass transition temperature and photocrosslinking properties

In this study, novel poly(arylene ether sulfone)s containing 9,10-diphenylanthracene units were synthesized and their thermal and optical properties were investigated. This new bisphenol monomer, 9,10-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)anthracene, was facially synthesized in two steps and showed similar reactivity for SNAr reactions as other bisphenol monomers, such as bisphenol A. The introduction of an anthracene unit to poly(arylene ether sulfone)s can obviously improve glass transition temperature and retain good solubility and high decomposition temperatures. The glass transition temperature of poly(arylene ether sulfone) reached up to 265 °C when the bisphenol A was entirely substituted by bis(4-hydroxyphenol)anthracene. These polymers are soluble in chloroform, N,N-dimethylformamide and N-methyl-2-pyrrolodone and can be film-formed through spin-coating. Interestingly, anthracene units endowed these polymers with photocrosslinkable properties and further improved their thermal stability.