ELECTROSTATIC DISSIPATING PROPERTIES OF POLY(OXYETHYLENE)AMINE-MODIFIED POLYAMIDES

A series of hydrophilic poly(ether amide)s were prepared from the copo lymerization of dicarboxylic acids (including terephthalic, adipic, an d sebacic acids) and two combined poly(oxyalkylene)diamines and charac terized by GPC, NMR, IR, and DSC. The electrostatic dissipating proper ty, probed by measuring the surface resistivity, was correlated with t he molecular weight (MW), the weight content of the incorporated hydro philic poly(oxyethylene)diamine, and the morphology of the resulting p olymers. A wide range of surface resistivity from 10(12) to 10(6.3) Om ega/square can be achieved. Poly(oxyethylene)diamine of MW 2000 is the most effective hydrophilic amine among those studied. The surface res istivity decreased from 10(9.9) to 10(8.7) to 10(7.8) to 10(7.6) Omega /square with increasing incorporation of the hydrophilic poly(oxyethyl ene)diamine from 0 to 25 to 50 to 76 wt % accordingly, in the case of poly(sebacamide)s. Adding a second amine, either triethylene glycol di amine (MW 148) or poly(oxypropylene)diamine (MW 230), to the requisite poly(oxyethylene)diamine (MW 2000) rendered the polyamides to have go od structural integrity. The importance of hydrogen bonding associated with amide functionality is indirectly evidenced by comparing the ana logous polyamides with the polyamines, the latter prepared from the am ine curing with the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A.