Soluble, microporous ladder polymers formed by stepwise nucleophilic substitution of octafluorocyclopentene

Octafluorocyclopentene (OFCP) has been demonstrated as a non-aromatic tetrafunctional monomer suitable for making soluble ladder polymers of intrinsic microporosity. Ladder polymers with a varying surface area were prepared by reacting one mole of OFCP with 2 moles of bisphenols of the same or different types. BET analysis of ladder polymers indicated that the surface area formed is comparable to that of microporous polymers derived from polyimides. MALDI-TOF MS indicated the presence of one OFCP and two bisphenol moieties in every repeating unit thereby confirming the presence of ladders in the polymer backbone.