Influence of poly(arylether sulfone) molecular weight distribution on measures of global thermal stability

Linda J. Broadbelt, Michael T. Klein*, Barry D. Dean, Stephen M. Andrews

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

The dependence of the thermal stability of high‐performance poly(arylether sulfones) (PAES) on the initial molecular weight distribution and backbone structure was assessed experimentally and through computer simulation. Reaction of PAES polymers resulted in the formation of an insoluble gel fraction and significant changes in weight and number average molecular weights of the sol fraction. A PAES with alternating ether and sulfone linkages formed a larger fraction of gel at a given reaction time than a PAES with the hydroquinone moiety. For a given chemical composition, more rapid molecular weight changes and gel fraction formation were observed for the polymer with the higher value of the initial weight average molecular weight. The growth of molecular weight was also faster for the polymer with the broader initial distribution. The simultaneous increase in Mw and decrease in Mn suggested the occurrence of two types of overall reactions: scission and addition. Simulation of these reactions using Monte Carlo kinetics allowed estimation of the range of probability for bond scission, R, of 0.5 < R < 0.8 capable of accounting for the observed experimental behavior. The dependence of the simulated molecular weight changes on the initial molecular weight distribution agreed qualitatively with the experimental trends. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1325-1334
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Applied Polymer Science
Volume58
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 21 1995

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Chemistry(all)
  • Surfaces, Coatings and Films
  • Polymers and Plastics
  • Materials Chemistry

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Influence of poly(arylether sulfone) molecular weight distribution on measures of global thermal stability'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this