VISCOSITY AND LIGHT-SCATTERING MEASUREMENTS OF POLY(2-FLUORO-P-PHENYLENE-2-FLUOROTEREPHTHALAMIDE)

We report on the characterization of the conformational properties of the fully aromatic polyamides poly(2-fluoro-p-phenylene-2-fluorotereph thalamide) (FPFT) in methanesulfonic acid using dynamic and static lig ht scattering and viscosity measurements. The results are in quantitat ive agreement with a model of polydisperse wormlike chains for the sol ution conformation of FPFT. A comparison with the results obtained for the unsubstituted polymer poly(p-phenylenterephthalamide) (PPTA) unde r the same experimental conditions indicates that the introduction of halogen substituents on the aromatic rings has only a weak influence o n the chain flexibility.