Facile synthesis of fluorinated poly(arylene ether nitrile) and its dielectric properties

A new class of specialty polymer, fluorinated poly(arylene ether nitrile) (PAEN-F), was synthesized via the aromatic nucleophilic substitution reaction. Due to its rigid structure, PAEN-F exhibited enhanced heat resistance and thermal stability. Consequently, the glass-transition temperature and initial degradation temperature of PAEN-F reached as high as 179°C and 554°C, respectively. PAEN-F also showed excellent solubility in low-boiling solvents owing to fluorine groups and the nonplanar structure in the repeat unit. Due to its strong 6F dipoles, PAEN-F exhibited a high dielectric constant (ɛ r ) of 3.6, a high electrical breakdown strength of 346 MV/m, and a reasonably low dissipation factor (tan δ) of 0.014 at 25°C and 100 Hz. Therefore, this dipolar glass polymer is promising for high-temperature and low-loss electric energy storage applications. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46837.