Preparation and characterization of hyperbranched poly(ether sulfone) and its application as a coating additive for linear poly(ether sulfone)

Hyperbranched poly(ether sulfone) (HPES), a suitable coating additive for improving the rheological properties of linear poly(ether sulfone) (LPES), was easily produced via polymerization of commercially available bisphenol S (A(2) monomer, BPS) and synthesized 2,40,6-trifluoro-phenylsulfone (BB2' monomer, TF). During this reaction, fluoro-or phenolic-terminated HPES (F-HPES or OH-HPES) could be facilely obtained by controlling the feed mole ratios of the two monomers. The polymerization mode A(2)+BB2' was confirmed by analyzing the model compounds and the degree of branching (DB) was calculated systematically. In addition, the synthesized polymers' chemical structures were exhibited by FTIR, H-1 NMR as well as F-19 NMR spectroscopy. Notably, the addition of 1 wt % HPES reduced the melt viscosity and improved the high temperature liquidity of LPES because of its unique spherical shape. Furthermore, the addition of HPES did not have a negative impact on the performance of LPES, which was attributed to the good miscibility between HPES and LPES. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.