Morphologies of poly(p-phenylene pyromelliteimide) (PPPI) were investigated by using phase separation during polymerization of pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and p-phenylene diamine (PPDA). Polymerizations were carried out at 330°C for 6 h. PPDA was added to the solution of PMDA in an aromatic solvent at various temperatures after PMDA was entirely dissolved. The morphology of the precipitates was drastically changed with the temperature of PPDA addition (Tad). When Tad was 240°C, the fine particles were formed through the formation of droplets via liquid-liquid phase separation. On the contrary, when Tad was higher than 280°C, the mixture of lozenge-shaped crystals and starlike aggregates of needlelike crystals were formed by the crystallization of oligomers. Tad influenced the degree of imidization of oligomers, resulting in the variation in the morphology of PPPI. Crystal structure and molecular chain orientation of the lozenge-shaped crystals were also investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscope.
Composition control of copolyester was examined by using hydrodynamically induced phase separation, during solution polymerization, of p-acetoxybenzoic acid and m-acetoxybenzoic acid (m-ABA). Polymerizations were carried out in liquid paraffin at 1.0% of concentration under shear flow. The polymers were obtained as precipitates formed via phase separation of oligomers and the subsequent polymerization in the precipitates. When the feed ratio of m-ABA (χ f ) was 20 mol %, the molar ratio of m-oxybenzoyl moiety in the precipitated polymers (χ p ) was 5.3, 3.1, and 2.3 mol % at a shear rate (γ) of 0, 147, and 489 s -1 , respectively. The values of χ p were much lower than those of χ f , and shear flow lowered the value of χ p ; thus, controlling shear flow influenced both the reaction rate of the monomers and the miscibility of the oligomers. It especially enhanced the difference on the miscibility between homo-oligomers and co-oligomers. This change in the miscibility by shear flow brought about the more rapid precipitation of homo-oligomers than co-oligomers, leading to the selective formation of poly(p-oxybenzoyl).
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