Preparation of Iptycene-Containing Polymers and Oligomers

Abstract

In this chapter, the methods for the preparation of various iptycene-containing polymers and oligomers will be discussed in details. The structural features and the properties of these polymers and oligomers will also be described in the following corresponding sections. When a 3D structural unit, especially, a rigid 3D skeleton was introduced into a polymer, some special physical properties could be shown. As early as 1968, Klanderm and Faber (J Polym Sci Part A1 Polym Chem 6:2955–2965, 1968) attempted to prepare the polymers containing 9,10-bis(hydroxylmethyl)triptycene unit, which was expected to enhance the glass transition temperature (T g). Consequently, they obtained the modified polyesters with 9,10-bis(hydroxylmethyl)triptycene instead of the common glycol components, and found that the target poly(ethylene terephthalate)s expectedly showed the high heat-distortion temperatures and high glass transition temperatures, but the crystallizability was simultaneously declining. Obviously, the rigid bulky triptycene moiety seemed to interfere with the segmental rotation of the polymer chain, leading to an influence on the thermal properties of the polyesters.