Synthesis and characterization of comb-like poly(esters) containing silicon and/or germanium in the main chain

Poly(esters) derived from the acid dichloride bis(4-chloroformylphenyl)-n-octylmethyl-silane and the diphenols bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,2-propane (bisphenol A), bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-dimethylsilane and germane were synthesized under phase transfer conditions and characterized only by IR spectroscopy due to the insolubility of the resulting polymers. The glass transition temperature and the thermal stability were determined showing that the Tg values decrease when the size of the central atom is increased. The thermal stability increased when the polarity of the main chain was increased in the poly(esters) containing the C-Si and the C-Ge bonds from the diphenol part, with respect to the analogous derived from bisphenol A.