SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NEW SOLUBLE POLYAMIDES CONTAINING ETHER AND PENDANT CYCLODODECYLIDENE GROUPS

A series of new soluble polyamides having flexible ether and bulky pen dant cyclododecylidene groups in the polymer chain were prepared by th e direct polycondensation of 1,1-bis(4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl)cyclodod ecane (BAPCD) and various aromatic dicarboxylic acids in N-methyl-2-py rrolidinone (NMP) using triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents. Polymers having inherent viscosities of 0.74-1.00 dl/g were p roduced in high yield. Almost all the polymers could be readily dissol ved in polar solvents such as NMP, dimethylsulfoxide, N,N-dimethylacet amide, N, N-dimethylformamide, m-cresol, pyridine and tetrahydrofuran. Most of the polymers could be solution-cast into transparent, flexibl e, tough films which were further characterized by X-ray and mechanica l analysis. X-ray diffractograms of polyamides indicated all polymers were amorphous except the polymer derived from rigid diacid such as 4, 4 '-biphenyldicarboxylic acid. Most of the polymers revealed a distinc t glass transition on the 234-273 degrees C. thermogravimetric analysi s showed that most of the polymers were stable up to 400 degrees C in nitrogen atmosphere. The polymer films had a tensile strength range of 88-147 MPa and high tensile modulus range of 2.8-3.5 GPa. (C) 1998 Jo hn Wiley & Sons, Ltd.