Synthesis and characterization of polyamides and poly(amide-imide)s based on ether-sulfone-diamines

A series of polyamides and poly(amide-imide)s were prepared by the direct polycondensation of 4,4'-[sulfonylbis(1,4-phenyleneoxy)]dianiline or 4,4'-[sulfonylbis(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenyleneoxy)]dianiline with aromatic dicarboxylic acids and phthalimide unit-bearing dicarboxylic acids in a N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) solution containing dissolved calcium chloride using triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents. The inherent viscosities of the resulting polymers were above 0.45 dL/g and up to 1.70 dL/g. Except for the polyamides derived from terephthalic acid and 4,4'-biphenyldicarboxylic acid, all the other polyamides and all poly(amide-imide)s were readily soluble in polar organic solvents such as NMP, N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and m-cresol, and afforded transparent and tough films by solution-casting. Most of the polymers showed distinct glass transition on their differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) traces and their glass transition temperatures (T-g) stayed between 140 similar to 264 degrees C. The methyl-substituted polymers showed higher T(g)s than the corresponding unsubstituted counterparts. The results of the thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) revealed that all the methyl-substituted polymers showed lower initial decomposition temperatures than the unsubstituted ones.