Postpolymerization of a fluorinated and reactive poly(aryl ether): an efficient way to balance the solubility and solvent resistance of the polymer.

A new fluorinated poly(aryl ether) with reactive benzocyclobutene groups as the side chain was successfully synthesized. This polymer showed a number-average molecular weight (Mn) of 200,000 and had good solubility and film-forming ability. After being postpolymerized at high temperature (>200 °C), the polymer film converted to a cross-linked network structure, which was insoluble in the common organic solvents. Such results suggest that the postpolymerization is an efficient way to achive the balance between the solubility and the solvent resistance of the polymer. TGA data showed that the postpolymerized polymer had a 5 wt % loss temperature at 495 °C and a residual of 61% at 1000 °C under N2. The cross-linked film also exhibited good dielectric properties with an average dielectric constant of about 2.62 in a range of frequencies from 1 to 30 MHz. With regard to the mechanical properties, the cross-linked film had hardness, Young's modulus, and bonding strength to a silicon wafer of 1.22, 8.8, and 0.89 GPa, respectively. These data imply that this new polymer may have potential applications in the electrical and microelectronics industry.