Aliphatic polysulfones with improved mechanical integrity
AssigneeUniversity of Florida Research Foundation, Inc.
InventorsKenneth B. Wagener, Taylor W. Gaines, Michael Bell, Julia Grace Pribyl
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Abstract
A polysulfone has sulfone units that are separated by alkylene units in a polymer chain or a copolymer chain where the alkylene units have at least four carbons between sulfone units. The alkylene units can include an ethenylene unit separated from the sulfone units by at least one methylene units. The polysulfones can be crosslinked for enhanced thermal stability. Membranes can be formed from the polysulfones.
Claims12
A method of preparing a polysulfone having a multiplicity of sulfone units separated by alkylene units in a polymer chain or a copolymer chain, the method comprising:
- providing a monomer mixture comprising a multiplicity of at least one α,ω-bis-vinylalkylsulfone monomer and/or a cycloalkenylsulfone wherein a double bond is separated from the sulfone by at least one methylene unit;
- adding a metathesis catalyst to the monomer mixture;
- removing ethylene to form a polymer comprising a multiplicity of sulfone units separated by alkylene units wherein the ethylene units comprise ethylene unit separated from the sulfone units by at least one methylene unit of the alkylene unit, and
- optionally, reducing at least a portion of the ethylene units and/or reacting at least a portion of the ethenylene units to form crosslinking unit, wherein on average at least two alkylene units of each polymer chain or copolymer chain comprise a crosslinking unit between at least two polymer chains or copolymer chains, wherein the crosslinking unit comprises a reaction product of an ethylene unit with a diacrylate or a dithiol or a reaction product of an epoxy unit formed from an ethylene unit and a diol or a diamine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.