Pendent perfluoroalkyl poly(aryl ethers)

Abstract

The perfluoroalkylene group was shown to activate the 4-fluoro group towards displacement in the high yield required for a polymer-forming reaction (4-PFA activation). In this paper we will describe the our studies on 2-PFA activation and the use of this transformation in the synthesis of pendent perfluoroalkyl poly(aryl ethers). The 2-PFA activation of fluoro-displacements occurred in very good yield and high selectivity, however, complete conversion was not achievable. Complete conversion was observed when an excess of phenoxide was used. This was exploited in the synthesis of poly(aryl ether ketone) copolymers with pendent perfluoroalkyl groups by a sequential monomer addition scheme.