Synthesis and Properties of Novel Sulfonated Arylene Ether/Fluorinated Alkane Copolymers

The polymerization of 2,3,5,6-tetraphenylhydroquinone (or 2,2‘,3,3‘,5,5‘-hexaphenyl-4,4‘-dihydroxybiphenyl) with α,ω-tetrahydroperfluoroalkanediol and decafluorobiphenyl was carried out to synthesize a series of copolymers III ( M w = 49 100−80 900). The copolymers III are composed of arylene ether (10−30 mol %) and fluorinated alkane (90−70 mol %) moieties. The reaction of III with chlorosulfonic acid gave sulfonated polymers IV, which are soluble in polar organic solvents and form flexible and transparent films by casting from solution. The polymers IV have glass transition temperatures of 109−155 °C and decomposition temperatures of ca. 300 °C. The hydrated polymers show protonic conductivity (3.4 × 10 -3 S cm -1 ), which does not decrease at temperatures up to 170 °C.