Hyperbranched poly (aryl ether ketones) with large volume fluorene approach to excellent solubility and thermal performance.

Hyperbranched polymers (HBPs) have the characteristics of low viscosity, high fluidity, and excellent solubility, which enable them to have many potential applications in various fields. In this study, unequal activity 3,4′,5-trifluoro dibenzophenone (B'B 2) monomers and large volume 9,9-bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) fluorene (A 2) monomers were used to prepare hyperbranched poly (aryl ether ketones) (HBPAEKs) through nucleophilic substitution reaction, and three different hyperbranched HBPAEKs with hydroxy-terminated, fluoro-terminated, and epoxy-terminated groups were synthesized. The properties of the three HBPAEKs were systematically characterized by FT-IR, NMR, GPC, TGA, DSC and others. The solubility test shows that the synthesized HBPAEKs were soluble in most common organic solvents. Thermal analysis results showed that the fluorine-terminated HBPAEKs had excellent thermal stability, with a 5% weight loss temperature of 568 °C (T d5% = 568 °C), which is equivalent to that of poly (ether ether ketone) (PEEK, T d5% = 573 °C). Moreover, by adding HBPAEKs, the Melt Flow Rates (MFR) of PEEK was increased by 59%, which can greatly improve the processability of PEEK. [Display omitted] • Three different terminated HBPAEKs were successfully synthesized with high branching degrees and excellent solubility. • The fluorine-terminated HBPAEKs showing excellent thermal stability, which is comparable to that of PEEK (T d5% =573 ℃). • The HBPAEKs significantly enhanced the MFR of PEEK, which effectively mitigated the poor processability of PEEK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]