Synthesis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight characterization of bisphenol-A copolyformals containing nickel(II)/Schiff base, eicosane and 2-butene units in the main chain

Some bisphenol-A copolyformals, contg. in the main chain different amts. of a Ni-diimine nonlinear optical (NLO)-chromophore, eicosane and/or 2-butene units, were synthesized by condensation reaction between dibromomethane and suitable mixts. of Ni(II)/Schiff base complex, 1,20-di(bisphenol-A)ether-eicosane and/or 1,4-di(bisphenol-A)ether-2-butene. Structural compn. and thermal properties of polymeric materials were inferred by analyses by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS), NMR (NMR), gel permeation chromatog. (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG). MALDI-TOF data show that both Ni-diimine and unsatd. units are present in the copolyformals with a homogeneous arrangement in all the polymer mass range (GPC data). It has also been ascertained that the glass transition temp. (Tg) of the copolymers changes as a consequence of the abundance of aliph. units in the macromols. (DSC data). Crosslinking expts. of the copolymer at temps. near the Tg value and under UV irradn. were also performed.