Synthesis, characterization and properties of novel polyspiroacetals

Abstract

In this work we report the synthesis and characterization of a new series of spiropolymers which are a subclass of ladder polymers. For the synthesis of spiropolymers, multihydroxy functional monomers have been synthesized and allowed to react with 1,4 cyclohexanedicarbaldehyde in the presence of an acid catalyst to give new polyspiroacetals. In order to understand polymer structure, model compounds of each polymer were synthesized and characterized. The effects of different multihydroxy monomers on the properties of the resulting polymers have been examined. The polymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), solid-state ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), termogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) methods. The spiropolymers are thermally stable and have a high degree of chemical stability. They are completely soluble in hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) and can be recovered from this solvent.