SYNTHESIS AND CURING BEHAVIOR OF ALKYL-SUBSTITUTED POLY(ARYL ETHER KETONE)S HAVING A CROSS-LINKABLE STYRYL GROUP AT CHAIN-ENDS

Crosslinkable alkyl-substituted poly(aryl ether ketone)s (PEKs) bearin g a styryl group at both chain ends were synthesized by nucleophilic s ubstitution reaction of lenedioxy)bis[2-methyl-4-(4-fluorobenzoyl)benz ene] with an excess aromatic diol in the presence of a base, followed by the reaction of the terminal phenol group with chloromethylstyrene. The aromatic diols used in this study were hydroquinone and resorcino l. The molecular weight of the polymer determined by GPC and H-1 NMR a greed with each other and close to the theoretical value calculated fr om the feed ratio. The polymer was soluble in N,N-dimethylacetamide an d tetrahydrofuran, but insoluble in acetone and methanol. From DSC ana lysis, the polymer was thermally crosslinked around 220 degrees C. The addition of dicumyl peroxide as a radical generator in the polymer de creased the curing temperature. The cured polymer showed high thermal stability up to 420 degrees C under nitrogen. (C) 1997 John Wiley & So ns, Inc.