NEW POLYMER SYNTHESES .41. SYNTHESIS OF THERMOPLASTIC AROMATIC POLY(ETHER-AMIDE)S FROM SILYLATED AMINOPHENOLS

N,O-Bistrimethylsilyl 3- or 4-aminophenol were condensed with iso-phthaloyl chloride or terepthaloyl chloride at temperatures ≤ 110°, so that a highly selective acylation of the amino groups took place. The resulting silylated diphenol amides were either isolated or condensed with 4,4′-difluorodiphenylsulphone in a "one-pot procedure" at temperatures up to 320°. Regardless of stepwise condensation or "one-pot procedure", inherent viscosities >0.45 dl/g were never obtained. However, polycondensation of O-trimethylsilyl diphenols prepared from N-methyl-4-aminophenol and iso- or terephthaloyl chloride yielded poly(ether-amide)s with inherent viscositiess up to 0.8 dl/g. In this way poly(ether-sulphone), poly(ether-ketone)s with alternating sequences of amide ether and sulphone or ketone groups could be prepared. All poly(ether-amide)s are thermoplastic amorphous materials with glass-transition temperatures in the range of 150-210°. Cocondensation of silylated diphenols containing amide groups with other silylated diphenols allows a broad variation of properties including introduction of crystallinity, when oligo(ether-ketone) blocks are formed. © 1990.