Synthesis and Characterization of Amorphous Aromatic Poly(Thioether Ketone)s and Poly(Thioether Phenyl Phosphine Oxide)s

A series of aromatic poly(thioether ketone)s were synthesized from 4,4′-dimercaptodiphenyl ether (I) and 4,4′-dimercaptodiphenyl thioether (II), by reaction with a series of ketone-activated aromatic fluoro compounds (IIIa-e) in DMF in the presence of anhydrous K2CO3. Two poly(thioether phenyl phosphine oxide)s were also prepared from bis(4-fluorophenyl)phenyl phosphine oxide (IV). The aromatic polythioethers had inherent viscosities of 0.3–0.88 dL/g. All polymers were amorphous and soluble in such solvents as CHCl3, DMF, DMAc, NMP, and DMSO. The glass transition temperatures of these aromatic polythioethers were in the 154–251°C range, and the 5% weight loss temperatures in TGA were in the 420–541°C range in N2 and the 503–527°C range in air. Wide-angle x-ray diffraction data on selected polymers showed that the polymers were amorphous.