Synthesis and Properties of Novel Thermoplastic Poly(ester-ether-imide) Elastomers Derived from 4,4'-bis(N-trimellitimide)-diphenylether Unit with Excellent Thermal Stability

The novel poly(ester-ether-imide)s (PEEIs) were synthesized by 1, 6-hexanediol (HD), poly(tetramethylene glycol) (PTMG1000) and imide dicarboxylic acid was prepared from 1,2,4-trimellitic anhydride (TMA) and 4,4'-oxydianiline (ODA) by the traditional chemical two-step method. The structures of synthesized imide dicarboxylic acid and poly(ester-ether-imide)s were confirmed by FT-IR and 1H-NMR spectroscopy, respectively. The intrinsic viscosities, thermal properties, dynamic mechanical properties, mechanical properties and solubility of these polymers were characterized. The results indicate that these polymers have good solubility, exhibit excellent thermal stability owing to the introduction of imide units, and the tensile strength of PEEIs increases with increasing the number of imide groups while maintaining the good elasticity of the polymers.