Syntheses and properties of allylated poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene ether)

A novel thermosetting polyphenylene ether (PPE) having crosslinkable allyl groups was successfully synthesized from PPE and allyl halides by the modification of the polymer in tetrahydrofuran solution at low temperature under atmospheric pressure. Cured allylated PEE has a low dielectric constant of 2.50, a low dissipation factor of 0.001, high glass transition temperature of 250 degrees C, excellent adhesion to copper foil, and low water absorption. An application of allylated PPE to copper clad laminates reinforced with E-glass cloth was also studied. The resulting alkylated PPE laminate has some advantages such as low dielectric constant, high glass transition temperature, low water absorption, light weight, powder-free prepreg, etc. compared with conventional commercial products, such as epoxy resin and polyimide resin.