The goal of this project is to synthesize and characterize poly(arylene ether)s with UV and thermally curable functionalities through the inclusion of 2-(bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)methyl) benzoic acid monomer (phenolphthalin) into the PAE backbone.  Chemical cross-linking methods have been widely employed to optimize membrane morphology and improve the physical properties using cross-linkers such as dihalides, diols, dithiols, and dicarboxylic acids under basic or catalytic conditions.  The mode of crosslinking is generally initiated through thermal or UV stimuli allowing for a wide range of polymer structures to be prepared.  Interestedly, no reports of combining UV/thermal crosslinking sites into a single PAE polymer have been found in the literature.  Combining the properties of PAE thermal and UV crosslinkable polymers could result in the formation of membranes with tunable thermal, mechanical, and processing properties controlled by the concentration of the crosslinking site and agent used.  Therefore, the purpose of this work is to develop modifiable PAE polymers for efficient processing and manufacturing of versatile material by 3-D printing. PAE of with carboxylic acid active sites along the backbone will be synthesized and these functional sites will be crosslinked to generate various microstructures.  Ideally, a synthetic platform to tailor a variety of PAE polymer with optimized properties for 3-D printing can be achieved. To this extent, the successful synthesis and characterization of the polymers outlined in this proposal will combine poly(arylene ether) type polymers with phenolphthalein (PPL) in various molar ratios and topology to overcome the limitations associated with currently crosslinked polymers. Special focus of this approach on the physical and chemical properties of phenolphthalein based poly(arylene ether)s (PPL-PAES) and the contribution of the types (vinyl and epoxy) and amounts of crosslinking sites to the performance of the materials will be evaluated.

Understanding the effect of crosslinkers to the performance and stability of tunable UV and thermal curable poly(arylene ether) for 3-D printing

ACS Fall 2021

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