Synthesis of heat- and solvent-resistant polymers by radical polymerization of trifluoromethyl-substituted N-phenylmaleimides

✍ Scribed by Akikazu Matsumoto; Takeshi Kimura

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 140 KB
• Volume: 68
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-8995
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-4628(19980606)68:10<1703::aid-app20>3.0.co;2-w

✦ Synopsis

The radical polymerization of the three kinds of fluorine-containing maleimides, that is, N- [2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]maleimide (2TFPhMI), N-[3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]maleimide (3TFPhMI), and N- [4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]maleimide (4TFPhMI) was carried out in the presence of a radical initiator in benzene at 60ЊC. The polymerization reactivity of these fluorine-containing maleimides and the properties of the resulting polymers were examined in comparison with the results for the methyl-substituted phenylmaleimides. The trifluoromethyl-substituted maleimides readily polymerized to give polymers in high yields as well as a methyl-substituted one. The resulting polymers showed an excellent resistance against organic solvents; especially, poly(4TFPhMI) was insoluble in the most common solvents. The onset temperature of thermal decomposition of the fluorine-containing polymers ( T init Å 352-368ЊC) was similar to that of poly( N-phenylmaleimide) ( T init Å 364ЊC) and slightly lower than those for the methyl-substituted one ( T init Å 388-402ЊC). The glass transition temperature of the polymers was dependent on the position of the trifluoromethyl group.