Dynamic mechanical behavior of fluorinated aromatic poly(ethers)

The relaxation behavior of six fluorinated aromatic poly( ethers ) was investigated using dynamic mechanical analysis. The glass transition temperature was found to increase as the size and rigidity of linking groups increased and varied between 168°C for a dimethyl linking group and 300°C for a bicyclic benzoate ether-linking group. For the α-relaxation the steepness of time/temperature plots and broadness of the loss curves could be qualitatively correlated with chemical structure in a manner predicted by the coupling model of relaxation. Well-separated sub-T g transitions were also observed, as a shoulder on the low temperature side of the α-peak, and as a broad, low loss transition around -100°C. The higher temperature process was similar to the structural relaxation often found in quenched glassy polymers, while the position, intensity, and breadth of the subambient process was sensitive to chemical structure.