Synthesis and characterization of highly soluble wholly aromatic polyamides containing both furanyl and phenyl units

This paper presents the synthesis and characterization of two series of polymeric compounds comprising eight furan-based polyamides prepared via melt polycondensation at low temperatures using various combinations of five aromatic raw materials. The chemical and physical structures and thermal stabilities of the obtained polyamides were investigated by various characterization methods. In addition, the polyamides were subjected to solubility testing in five common organic solvents. The results showed that the proposed furan-based polyamides possessed thermal stabilities similar to those of conventional high-performance aromatic polyamides, but with greatly improved solubility. Accordingly, the introduction of furan groups increased the solubility of the polyamides with respect to the solubility of their individual precursors, which is highly advantageous for subsequent polyamide processing and expanding their range of potential applications. Graphical Two series of polymeric compounds comprising eight furan-based polyamides were prepared from five aromatic raw materials. The chemical and physical structures, thermal stabilities, and the solubility of these polyamides were characterized and verified. The results show that the proposed furan-based polyamides have similar thermal stabilities compared with those of conventional high-performance aromatic polyamides. The introduction of furan groups increases the solubility of the polyamides, which is highly advantageous for expanding their range of potential applications.