ABSTRACT
Abstract-A series of new bis(ether anhydride)s was prepared in three steps starting from nitrodisplacement reaction of new diols with 4-nitrophthalonitrile to form bis(ether dinitrile)s, followed by alkaline hydrolysis of the bis(ether dinitrile)s and subsequent dehydration of the resulting bis(ether diacid)s. A series of new poly(ether imide)s was prepared from the bis(ether anhydride)s and various diamines by a conventional two-stage synthesis involving polyaddition and subsequent chemical cyclodehydration. All the polymers showed typical amorphous diffraction patterns. All of the poly(ether imide)s showed excellent solubility and were readily dissolved in various solvents such as A-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone, A,A-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), A,A-dimethylformamide, pyri dine, cyclohexanone, tetrahydrofuran and even in chloroform. These polymers had glass transition temperatures in the range of 226-262°C. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that all polymers were stable up to 440°C, with 10% weight loss recorded in the range of 441-53 5 °C in nitrogen. Transpar ent, tough and flexible polymer films could be obtained by solution casting from the DMAc solu tion. These polymer films had tensile strength in the range of 80-116 MPa and tensile modulus in the range of 1.7-2.7 GPa.
