A Novel Approach to Processing High-Performance Polymers that Exploits Entropically Driven Ring-Opening Polymerization

• Published in: Macromolecular rapid communications. Vol. 26; no. 17; pp. 1377 - 1382
• Main Authors: Ben-Haida, Abderrazak, Colquhoun, Howard M., Hodge, Philip, Stanford, John L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY-VCH Verlag 05.09.2005; WILEY‐VCH Verlag; Wiley
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Exact sciences and technology; high performance polymers; macrocycles; Organic polymers; Physicochemistry of polymers; Polymerization; Preparation, kinetics, thermodynamics, mechanism and catalysts; reactive processing; ring-opening polymerization; Ring opening polymerization; Polymer blends; Melt polymerization; Sulfone polymer; Molten state; Aromatic polymer; Chain elongation; reactive processing; Experimental study; Oligomer; ring-opening polymerization; Macrocycle; Cyclic polymer; Linear polymer; macrocycles; high performance polymers; Prepolymer; Dynamic viscosity; Chemical reactivity; Rheological properties
• ISSN: 1022-1336; 1521-3927
• DOI: 10.1002/marc.200500364

Blends of the poly(ether sulfone) derived from 4,4′‐biphenol and 4,4′‐dichlorodiphenylsulfone (Radel‐R™) with its homologous macrocyclic oligomers show greatly lowered melt viscosities relative to that of the parent polymer, potentially enabling more facile production and fabrication of fiber‐reinforced composite materials. The macrocycles can then undergo entropically driven ring‐opening polymerization in situ. The required blends can be obtained easily in one step, by carrying out polycondensations at concentrations lower than those usually used for polymer synthesis. Percentage of MCOs 5 in the product as a function of total monomer concentration.