Synthesis and characterization of a water-soluble rigid-rod polymer

Water-soluble polyaramides have been prepared from 2,5-diaminobenzene-sulphonic-acid activated by TMSCl and terephthalic-acid-chloride. Using this method, we achieved molecular weights of our polymers up to 18,000 g mol(-1). Two model compounds were synthesized in order to establish the effect of trimethylsilyl-chloride, which was used as the activating agent for this reaction. The resulting sulphonated poly-aramides were characterized by: inherent viscosity measurements, size exclusion chromatography (SEC), DMA, TGA, flame absorbance atomic spectroscopy (FAAS), NMR spectroscopy and optical polarisation microscopy. In all cases, the polymers were easily soluble in hot water up to concentrations of 20 wt%. Upon cooling lyotropic alignment of molecular aggregates is observed at low polymer concentrations, typically 2-5 wt%. Polymers with low molecular weights do not show this behaviour. Films made from these sulphonated aramide polymers showed good thermal stability, and have interesting mechanical properties. Our results indicate the presence of a structure consisting of molecular aggregates. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.