Difunctionalized aromatic compounds and polymers therefrom

A polymer, comprising:

• a first repeating unit, which is a difunctionalized aromatic of formula I:
• and a second repeating unit formed from a compound selected from a dicarboxylic acid, a dialcohol, a diisocyanate, an amino-alcohol, a hydroxycarboxylic acid, and a diamine;
• wherein:
• Ar is an aromatic ring substituted with 1, 2, or 3 R groups;
• X is independently at each occurrence selected
• from:
• —CH2COO—;
• —CH(CH3)COO—;
• —CH2CH2OCH2COO—;
• —CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CO O—;
• —(CH2)yCOO—;
• and, —(CH2CH2O)zCH2COO—, where y is independently selected from 2, 3, 4 and 6-24 and z is independently selected from 2-24;
• Y is independently at each occurrence selected
• from:
• —COCH2O—;
• —COCH(CH3)O—;
• —COCH2OCH2CH2O—;
• —COCH2CH2CH2CH2CH2O—;
• —CO(CH2)mO—;
• and, —COCH2—O—(CH2CH2O)n—, where m is selected from 2-4 and 6-24 and n is selected from 2-24;
• R′ is selected from hydrogen, benzyl, and C1-6 alkyl;
• p and q are independently selected from 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4, provided that p+q total 2, 3, or 4;
• a and b are independently selected from 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4, provided that a+b total from 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6;
• R is independently selected from —O— (X)c—R′ and —O—(Y)c—R′;
• c is independently selected from 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4;
• alternatively, R is independently selected from H, ═O,
• O-glycosides, —(CH2)0-2—ORa, —(CH2)0-2—C6H5, —(CH2)0-2—CHO, Cl, F, Br, I, —(CH2)0-2—OC(O)—Ra, —(CH2)0-2—CO2—Ra, —(C(CH3))0-2—CO2—Ra, —(CH2)1-2CO2—(CH2)1-2—CO2—Ra, —(C(CH3))1-2—CO2—(CH2)1-2—CO2—Ra, —(CH2)0-2—CO—Ra, —O(CH2)0-2—C6H5, —O(CH2)1-2—CO2—Ra, —O(C(CH3))1-2—CO2—Ra, —O(CH2)1-2—CO—Ra, —(CH2)0-2—NO2, —(CH2)0-2NRaRa, —(CH2)0-2—NRaCORa, —(CH2)1-2—NRaC(O)(CH2)1-2ORa, —C6H5, —C6H5ORa, and —C6H5—CH═CHCO2Ra;
• and,
• Ra is independently selected from H and C1-6 alkyl.