A Facile Synthesis and the Polymerization of Macrocyclic 1,4-Phenylene Sulfide (PPS) Oligomers

Abstract

Cyclic phenylene thioether sulfoxide oligomers have been synthesized in high yields by an aromatic nucleophilic substitution reaction from the potassium salt, prepared in situ, of bisthiophenol N-propylcarbamates with bis(4-fluorophenyl)sulfoxide) under high dilution conditions. Chemical reduction of the sulfoxide yields cyclic phenylene sulfide oligomers. Polymerization of these oligomers in the presence of sulfur led to the formation of very high molecular weight poly(phenylene sulfide) which, in contrast to poly(1,4-phenylene sulfide), is very soluble because of the meta linkages