High glass transition temperature, ductile, and processable thermoplastic containing conformable ring segments

A ductile, glassy thermoplastic polymer having a glass transition temperature Tg higher than 230° C., said polymer comprising repeating units

• where n is such that the weight average molecular weight Mw is greater than 10,000 Da;
• wherein A is
• a)i) a bulky, rigid aromatic residue containing at least two aryl rings linked by a linking group,
• a)ii) a rotationally hindered aromatic residue containing at least two aryl rings linked by a linking group;
• wherein B is
• b)i) a ductility-inducing monomer residue containing at least one conformable carbocyclic ring structure of six to twelve ring atoms, optionally containing one or more non-adjacent heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of N, O, and S, or
• b)ii) a ductility-inducing molecule selected from the group consisting of bisaryl compounds of the formula
• wherein R is an optionally substituted alkylene, cycloalkylene, ether, thioether, keto, sulfone, ester, carbonate, or amide linking group;
• wherein each X and Y individually are linking groups selected from the group consisting of
• wherein when A is a bulky, rigid aromatic residue a)i) containing at least two aryl residues, both b)i and b)ii are present, and
• wherein A is a bulky rotationally hindered aromatic residue a)ii) containing at least two aryl rings, one or both of b)i and b)ii are present, and
• wherein the mol ratio of residue A to residue B is from 8:1 to about 1:3, and wherein A-X and B-Y are present in any order.