Synthesis and thermal cure of diphenyl ethers terminated with acetylene and phenylacetylene

Two kinds of novel compounds, diphenylacetylene diphenyl ether (DPADPE) and diacetylene diphenyl ether (DADPE), were prepared and polymerized under heating. Raman, DSC and 13C CP/MAS NMR analyses were used for studying the polymerization reaction. DPADPE and DADPE have melting points at 190 and 79 °C, with exothermic peaks of the DSC curves at 375 and 215 °C for curing, respectively. Raman and 13C CP/MAS NMR spectra show that DPADPE could be cured at a temperature higher than 300 °C and DADPE at a lower temperature of higher than 150 °C. The kinetic parameters for the thermal crosslinking reactions were obtained by the Ozawa method and the results show that the apparent activation energy is 152 kJ mol−1 for DPADPE and 109 kJ mol−1 for DADPE. An ene–yne Straus product appears in the cured DADPE, whereas this product has not been identified in the cured DPADPE. The cured DPADPE and DADPE demonstrate good thermal and thermo‐oxidative stability.