New spirobisindane-based ladder-type poly(arylene ether) copolymer with perfluorinated biphenylene and trifluoromethyl fragments.

A novel ladder-type fluorinatedpoly(arylene ether) copolymer containing perfluorinated biphenylene and trifluoromethyl fragments as well as dibenzodioxin and spirobisindane units was synthesized by the double-aromatic nucleophilic substitution reaction from 5,5\6,6'-tetrahydroxy-3,3,3\3'-tetramethyl-1,1 '-spirobisindane monomer and an equimolar amount of two fluorinated monomers. The chemical structure of the prepared copolymer was determined using 1H, 199F NMR and FTIR spectroscopy techniques. The obtained polymer was completely soluble in chloroform and tetrahydrofuran, but insoluble in such solvents as dimethylsulfoxide and dime thy lformamide. It is shown that the synthesized polyether has average molecular weight (MJ equal to 54600 and good thermo-oxidative stability (up to 400 °C). No glass transition temperature or other thermal transitions were found from the copolymer DSC curve up to 300 °C. The presence of both rigid ladder dibenzodioxin units and spirobisindane fragments (site of contortion) in its structure leads to decreasing the packing density of macromolecular chains that is promising for the regulation of transport properties of polymeric systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]