End-capped poly(aryl ether sulfone) polymers, poly(aryl ether sulfone) block copolymers, and corresponding synthesis methods

A dialkyl phthalate end-capped poly(aryl ether sulfone) (“PAES”) polymer comprising:

• a recurring unit RPAES represented by the following formula:
• wherein
• R1 to R16 are independently selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen, a halogen, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, ether, thioether, carboxylic acid, ester, amide, imide, alkali or alkaline earth metal sulfonate, alkyl sulfonate, alkali or alkaline earth metal phosphonate, alkyl phosphonate, amine and quaternary ammonium;
• T is selected from the group consisting of a bond, —CH2—;
• —O—;
• —SO2—;
• —S—;
• —C(O)—;
• —C(CH3)2—;
• —C(CF3)2—;
• —C(═CCl2)—;
• —C(CH3)(CH2CH2COOH)—;
• —N═N—;
• —RaC═CRb—;
• —(CH2)m—;
• —(CF2)m—;
• an aliphatic divalent group, linear or branched, of up to 6 carbon atoms;
• and combinations thereof;
• where in —RaC═CRb—, each Ra and Rb are independently selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen, a C1-C12-alkyl, a C1-C12-alkoxy, and a C6-C18-aryl group,
• where in —(CH2)m— and —(CF2)m—, m is an integer from 1 to 6;
• and
• at least at one end of the PAES polymer chain, a dialkyl phthalate radical represented the following formula:
• wherein
• R17 to R19 are independently selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen and a C1 to C18, substituted or unsubstituted, alkyl group;
• A1, A2, A4, and A5, are independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups represented by the formula:
• —(CH2)nCH3, where n is an integer from 0 to 12;
• A3 and A6 are independently selected form the group consisting of H and an alkyl group represented by the formula:
• —(CH2)n′CH3, where n′ is an integer from 0 to 12 and
• R1 to R16 and T are the same as defined above with respect to recurring unit RPAES, wherein at least 75% of the PAES polymer chain ends comprise the dialkyl phthalate radical.