Abstract
The nucleophilic ring opening addition reaction of phenol groups towards oxazoline units has been used for the preparation of hyperbranched poly(ether amide)s. For this the AB2 monomer 2-(3,5-bishydroxyphenyl)-1,3-oxazoline was synthesized and converted in a highly branched polymer in bulk or solution at temperatures above 190°C. The resulting hyperbranched polymers exhibit a degree of branching of 50%, as verified by high-resolution NMR spectroscopy, and are highly soluble in polar organic solvents, for example DMF and DMAc, with low solution viscosity. Their glass transition temperatures are in the region of 170°C and degradation does not start below 300°C. Melt rheology measurements revealed a predominantly elastic behaviour with a relatively high viscosity at low frequency. A lower melt viscosity was achieved by end group modification. Hyperbranched poly(ether amide)s with phenolic and acetate end groups are fully miscible with linear polyamide 6. When a small amount of the hyperbranched material is added to the PA6 matrix a significant reduction of the melt viscosity could be achieved without changing the mechanical properties of the matrix polymer.
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