Hyperbranched cyclic and multicyclic poly(etherketone)s by polycondensation of isosorbide and isomannide with 2,6,4′-trifluorobenzophenone and 1,3,5-tris(4-fluorobenzoyl) benzene

1,3,5-Tris(4-fluorobenzoyl)benzene (TFBB) and 2,6,4′-trifluorobenzophenone (TFB) were polycondensed with isosorbide and isomanide. All polycondensations were performed in a mixture of dimethyl sulfoxide and toluene with potassium carbonate as promotor. Optimal concentration to avoid gelation was set at 0.06 mol L−1. The different cyclization tendencies on the basis of monomers conformations are discussed. In the TFB series, the feed ratio isosorbide/TFB was varied from 1.0:1.0 to 1.5:1.0. A majority of linear and hyperbranched species were identified as main reaction products by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time-of-flight mass spectrometry regardless of the diol with slight cyclization tendency for isomannide. When TFBB was polycondensed with isosorbide, the cyclization tendency was significantly improved. The products obtained at a feed ratio of 1.41/1.0 and 1.51/1.0 were rich in cyclic and multicyclic species. More interesting results were obtained from the polycondensation of TFBB and is...