ABSTRACT
Adamantane(AD)isarigidpolycycliccagehydrocarbon[1]thathasbeensuccessfullyincorporatedintothebackbonesofmanydifferenttypesofpolymers, suchasacetylenicpolymers[2],polyacrylates[3],polyamides[4,5],vinylpolymers[6],poly(etheretherketone)(PEEK)[7],polysulfones[8,9],polyesters,
polyurethanes, polycarbonates, epoxy resins [9] and polyimides (Pis) [9-18]. It has been found that insertion of this thennally and oxidatively stable and hydrophobic fragment into polymer chains improves their physical and chemical properties, i.e., enhances thermal stability and increases the glass-transition temperature [2-9], improves solubility [9, 12, 14-17] and lowers the dielectric constant [15, 18]. It has been found that, for example, the AD-containing PEEK has a Tg value of 235°C, which is more than 1 00°C higher than that of the unsubstituted polymer (120°C) [7].
