Fluorine substitutent effects on poly(2,6‐diphenylphenylene ether)

A series of fluoro‐substituted poly(2,6‐diphenylphenylene ether)s (P3O) with systematically varied structures were prepared. The properties of the polymers change significantly with the variations in the polymer structures. By increasing the number of fluorine substituents on P3O polymer, the melting points and the tendency to crystallize for these polymers decrease significantly. Random copolymers from fluoro‐substituted 2,6‐diphenylphenols and 2,6‐diphenylphenol were also prepared. The influence of copolymer structure on the transition temperatures and crystallinity of the resulting copolymers is described.