SYNTHESIS AND PROPERTIES OF AROMATIC POLY(ETHER SULFONE)S AND POLY(ETHER KETONE)S CONTAINING NAPHTHALENE OR QUINOLINE UNITS, AND METHYL-SUBSTITUTED BIPHENYL-4,4'-DIOLS

A series of poly(ether sulfone)s and poly(ether ketone)s were synthesi zed from combinations of 1,5- and 2,6-bis(4-fluorosulfonyl)naphthalene , 2,6-bis(4-fluorobenzoyl)naphthalene, and 2,6-bis( 4-fluorobenzoyl)qu inoline with 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbiphenyl-4,4'-diol and 2,2',3,3', 5, 5'-hexamethylbiphenyl-4,4'-diol. The polycondensations proceeded quant itatively in diphenylsulfone in the presence of anhydrous potassium ca rbonate to afford polymers with inherent viscosities between 0.40 and 1.28 dL/g measured in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone or concentrated sulfuric acid. The tetramethyl- and hexamethyl-substituted aromatic polyethers exhibited good thermal stability, did not decompose below 330 degrees C in both air and nitrogen atmospheres, and had higher glass transitio n temperatures than the corresponding unsubstituted polymers. The meth yl-substituted poly(ether sulfone)s and poly(ether ketone)s showed goo d solubility in such common organic solvents as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone , N,N-dimethylacetamide, tetrahydrofuran, chloroform, and 1,4-dioxane.