POLY(ARYL ETHER AMIDE)S

A general method for the preparation of poly (aryl ether amide) s has been developed where the generation of an aryl ether linkage is the polymer-forming reaction. The amide linkage was found to be sufficiently electron-withdrawing to activate halo-substituents towards nucleophilic aromatic substitution analogous to conventional activating groups (i.e., sulfone, ketone, etc.). Model reactions demonstrated that the amide-activated displacement occurred with high selectivity in near quantitative yield and was judged suitable as a polymer-forming reaction. Appropriately fluoro-substituted amides were prepared and subjected to displacement polymerization with bisphenoxides in a N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP)/N-cyclohexyl-2-pyrrolidone (CHP) solvent mixture. High molecular weight polymers with glass transition temperatures in the 200-225-degrees-C range were obtained. (C) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.