Melt processable thermotropic wholly aromatic polyester

Abstract

A wholly aromatic polyester is provided which unlike the aromatic polyesters normally encountered in the prior art is not intractable or difficultly tractable and readily undergoes melt processing with ease. The aromatic polyester of the present invention consists essentially of the recurring units (a) p-oxybenzoyl moiety, (b) 2,6-dioxynaphthalene moiety, and (c) terephthaloyl moiety, and is free of units which possess ring substitution. The resulting polyester exhibits a melting point below approximately 325.degree. C., preferably below 300.degree. C., and most preferably below approximately 290.degree. C. The ability of the wholly aromatic polyester to readily undergo melt processing can be attributed to its atypical inherent propensity to form a thermotropic melt phase at relatively low temperatures. The wholly aromatic polyester may be formed by a variety of procedures including a slurry polymerization technique (as defined) or a melt polymerization technique.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.