Novel High-Temperature Aromatic Copolyester Thermosets:  Synthesis, Characterization, and Physical Properties

An all-aromatic thermosetting copolyester has been prepared using hydroquinone, hydroxybenzoic acid, isophthalic acid, trimesic acid, and/or 1,3,5-triacetoxybenzene as key building blocks. The preparation and characterization of these materials are described. Cured resins based on these structures exhibit thermal stabilities in nitrogen to 450 °C, glass transition temperatures up to 240 °C, and moisture pickups of only 0.3 wt %. An important feature of these cross-linked aromatic copolyesters is their ability to undergo further processing in the solid state through interchain transesterification reactions.