Synthesis and characterization of poly(aryl ether sulfone) copolymers containing terphenyl groups in the backbone

A linear rigid bisphenol monomer, 4,4′-dihydroxyterphenyl (DHTP), has been incorporated into poly(aryl ether sulfone)s (PAESs) in a study to impart crystallization to these amorphous polymers. The PAES made from DHTP and dichlorodiphenylsulfone (DCDPS) is semi-crystalline but not soluble or thermally processable. Three bisphenols, 4,4′-isopropylidenediphenol (BPA), 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphenol (BPAF) and 4,4′-dihydroxybiphenyl (BP), have been copolymerized with DHTP and DCDPS in order to study the effect of structure on crystallinity and processability. Both random and segmented copolymers containing different amounts of DHTP have been prepared via standard solution nucleophilic aromatic substitution polymerization technique. Only segmented polysulfone containing 50% BP and 50% DHTP was found to be semi-crystalline. This PAES had a melting temperature (Tm) 320 °C in the first heating cycle of a DSC measurement and the presence of crystallites was confirmed by wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXS).