Soluble Aromatic Polyamide Bearing Sulfone Linkages: Synthesis and Characterization

New soluble and linear aromatic polyamide chains were produced by condensing 4-aminophenylsulfone with isophthaloyl chloride in dimethylacetamide as a solvent under an inert atmosphere. HCl produced as a byproduct was removed from the reaction mixture by precipitating with a stoichiometric amount of triethylamine. A clear polyamide solution was obtained after isolation of the precipitates. Thin and transparent film was cast from the solution by baking out the solvent and after drying, the film was employed for various analyses. It was found to be soluble in various organic solvents. The structure elucidation of the resulting polyamide was carried out using infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The molecular weight distribution was determined by gel permeation chromatography. These results confirmed the formation of the aromatic polyamide. Thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, water absorption and mechanical measurements were also performed to further verify the physical properties of the aromatic polyamide.