Synthesis and characterization of novel adamantane-based copoly(aryl ether ketone)s with low dielectric constants

A series of novel adamantane-based copoly(aryl ether ketone)s (PAEK-CF3-Ad) with low dielectric constants were prepared by post-amidation of copoly(aryl ether ketone)s containing (3-trifluoromethyl)phenyl and carboxyl groups with 4-adamantylaniline. Compared with the preparation of adamantane-containing poly(aryl ether ketone)s by direct polymerization of adamantyl-substituted monomers, this side-chain grafting method avoids various problems, such as high polymerization temperature and the difficult polymerization of adamantyl-substituted monomers. The dielectric, thermal and mechanical properties of the synthesized PAEK-CF3-Ad were characterized using a precision impedance analyzer, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis, and a universal tester, respectively. The results indicate that PAEK-CF3-Ad films exhibited low dielectric constants ranging from 2.33 to 2.65 at 1 MHz due to the introduction of the adamantyl groups. The synthesized PAEK-CF3-Ad copolymers exhibited good thermal and mechanical properties. (c) 2013 Society of Chemical Industry