Poly(Arylene Ether Sulfone)s with HEPES Pendants: Synthesis, Thermal, and Dielectric Studies

Polyethersulfone with active carboxylic acid pendants was prepared from solution polymerization via nucleophilic displacement polycondensation reaction among 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulfone (DCDPS) and 4,4′-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) valeric acid (BHPA). The conditions necessary to synthesize and purify the polymer were investigated in some details. The synthesized polyethersulfone comprises sulfone and ether linkages in addition to reactive carboxylic acid functionality; this reactive carboxylic acid group was exploited to hold the HEPES moiety via ester linkage and is achieved by simple DCC coupling condition at ambient temperature. Without impairing the primary polymeric backbone, three modified polymers were prepared by varying the stoichiometric ratio of HEPES. Characterization of the polymers by 1H & 13C NMR, FT-IR, and TGA demonstrated that HEPES was quantitatively incorporated into the prime polymer. All the prepared polymers were pressed into tablets, and electrical contacts were established to study the dielectric properties. Finally, the influence of the HEPES on the dielectric properties was examined.