SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF POLY(ESTER-SULFONE)S

Aliphatic and aromatic-aliphatic poly (ester-sulfone) s were synthesized by the transesterifications of diphenyl adipate and diphenyl phthalates (ortho, meta, para) with two sulfone-containing diols, 1,3-bis(3-hydroxypropylsulfonyl)propane (Diol-333) and 1,4-bis(3-hydroxypropylsulfonyl)butane (Diol-343). Based on DSC and WAXD studies, the aliphatic homopoly (ester-sulfone) s are semicrystalline at room temperature and liquid crystalline at elevated temperature, while their copolymers with alkanediols are liquid crystalline. The liquid crystalline phase formation in aliphatic poly(ester-sulfone)s is attributed to the strong dipole-dipole interactions between sulfone groups. The aromatic-aliphatic poly (estersulfone)s from diphenyl phthalate (ortho) and isophthalate (meta) are amorphous. They are soluble in trifluoroacetic acid and m-cresol at room temperature, and DMF, DMAC, and DMSO at elevated temperature. The aromatic-aliphatic poly(ester-sulfone)s from diphenyl terephthalate are semicrystalline and are soluble only in trifluoroacetic acid. For a given diol, the glass transition temperatures of aromatic-aliphatic poly (ester-sulfone)s increase from phthalate to isophthalate to terephthalate. This is because the flexibility of the benzene ring in the polymer backbone decreases from ortho to meta to para substitution. As a comparison, polyesters without sulfone groups were synthesized from two alkanediols, 1,9-nonanediol and 1,10-decanediol, and the diphenyl esters. The poly (ester-sulfone)s have glass transition temperatures 60-80-degrees-C higher than the corresponding polyesters without sulfone groups, due to the strong dipolar interactions between sulfone groups. (C) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.