Preparation and properties of aromatic polyesters and copolyesters containing phenylindane unit

Aromatic polysters and copolyesters of high molecular weights with phenylindane units were prepared from combinations of 3‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐1,1,3‐trimethyl‐5‐indanol and bisphenol A with isophthaloyl and terephthaloyl chloride by two‐phase polycondensation in a nitrobenzene‐water system with various phase‐transfer catalysts. The phenylindane‐containing polyesters and copolyesters were amorphous and readily soluble in a wide range of solvents that included chloroform, m‐cresol, tetrahydrofuran, and dimethylformamide. The glass transition temperatures of the phenylindane‐derived polyisophthalate and polyterephthalate were 235 and 253°C, respectively, which were higher than those of the corresponding bisphenol A analogs by some 50°C. These polymers began to lose weight around 400°C in air and nitrogen atmospheres.