Copolymer of 2,6-dimethylphenol

This reaction has been actively studied since it was first reported by Hay in 1959 (I), but most of the extensive literature, which includes several recent reviews (2-8), deals primarily with the complex polymerization mechanism. Few copolymers have been prepared by oxidative coupling of phenols, and only one copolymer system has been examined in any detail. Copolymers of 2,6-dimethylphenol (DMP) and 2,6-diphenylphenol (DPP) have been prepared and the effect of variations in polymerization procedure on the structure and properties of the copolymers examined (4, 9) this work has now been extended to copolymers of each of these monomers with a third phenol, 2-methyl-6-phenylphenol (MPP). This paper presents a study of the DMP-MPP and MPP-DPP copolymers and a comparison with the DMP-DPP system previously reported. 

Copolymers of 2,6-dimethylphenol with 2-methyl-6-ter -butylphenol, 2,6-diisopropylphenol, 2-methyl-6-phenylphenol, and 2,6-diphenylphenol have been reported (16) but only the 2,6-dimethylphenol (DMP)-2,6-diphenylphenol (DPP) pair, which is described in this report, has been examined in detail. This system is particularly attractive because high molecular weight homopolymers can be obtained under suitable conditions from both monomers, facilitating the analysis of the copolymers. Both random and block copolymers have been obtained by varying the polymerization conditions (1). 

Copolymers of 2,6-dimethylphenol with 2-allyl-6-methyl phenol have been synthesized. The allyl-substituted polymers were cured thermally or could be converted to the epoxy derivatives to give thermosetting polymers.Silicone macromers have been prepared by reaction of 2-allyl-6-methylphenol with SiH-terminated polysiloxanes by a platinum... 

Nitrogen adsorption was studied at 77K for the series of polyphenylene oxides, which included homo- and copolymers of 2, 6-dimethylphenol and 2, 6-diphenylphenol. The isotherms were monitored using powder samples of the polyphenylene oxides, because slow diffusion of nitrogen in the polymers at this temperature does not allow sorption equilibrium for the typical membrane films of 50-70 pm thickness to be achieved at reasonable exposure times. The typical adsorption-desorption isotherms are represented in Figs. 13-15. As can be seen, for all the polymers the isotherms are marked by the broad hysteresis spreading over the whole region of the relative pressures down to the lowest P/Ps values. 

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