Considerable attention has been devoted to the preparation of fluorine-containing polymers because of their unique properties and high temperature performance (1). Recently we reported the preparation and characterization of novel fluorine-containing polyimides and polyethers which exhibit low moisture absorption and low dielectric constants (2, 3). Fluorinated polyimides absorb 1 wt% water and have dielectric constants of about 2.8 (all dielectric constants reported in this paper were measured at 10 kHz) whereas their non-fluorinated analogs absorb as much as 3 wt% water and have dielectric constants of about 3.2. Fluorinated polyarylethers, which are free of polar groups such as ketones, imides and sulfones, absorb as little as 0.1 wt% water and have dielectric constants less than 2.8.In our continuing effort to develop polymers with low dielectric constants and which exhibit low moisture absorption, we have prepared and characterized six new fluorinated polyarylethers (FPAE). FPAE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (depicted in Scheme 1) were prepared by reaction of decafluorobiphenyl with 4,4'-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphenol (Bisphenol AF), 9,9-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)fluorene, 1,1-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-phenylethane (Bisphenol AP), phenolphthalein, fluorescein, and methyl 3,5-dihydroxybenzoate, respectively. The properties of FPAE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 make them useful for electronic applications.
EXPERIMENTAL
ReagentsAll reagents were reagent grade and were used without purification. Decafluorobiphenyl, phenolphthalein, fluorescein, 3,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, cyclohexanone, dimethylacetamide (DMAc), g-butyrolactone (GBL), and potassium carbonate were obtained from Aldrich Chemical. Methyl 3,5-dihydroxybenzoate
