Synthesis of High Molecular Weight Poly(m-phenylene terephthalamide) in NMP/CaCl 2 Solvents

A new solvent was developed for the synthesis of a high-molecular-weight ara- mid polymer, PMTA, which is a low-weight form of poly(m-phenylene terephthalamide). The condensation method was optimized to obtain the best-grade polymer. HCl liberated from the optimized polymer was neutralized with CaO and the polymer was characterized. A series of neutralization experiments were performed to determine the relationships between the viscosity properties and the experimental conditions. The PMTA properties were characterized by instrumental analysis.