Process for the modification of aromatic polymers via phase transfer catalysis to produce polyarylene polymers and the use thereof

Claim 1

A process for the modification of alkyl halogenated polyarylenes with a derivative compound comprising the steps of: forming a mixture of said derivative compound with a phase transfer catalyst, wherein said derivative compound has the formula H--Z or M--T and Z is derived from a compound selected from the group consisting of water; aromatic, aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, amino and sulfonyl alcohols; aryl, aralkyl, aliphatic and cycloaliphatic thiols; heterocyclic amines; and heterocyclic imides and iminos which contain at least one O, N or S atom bonded to said H; M is Na or K and T is derived from a compound selected from the group consisting of cyanides; heterocyclic imides and iminos; carboxyls and hydroxyls; combining said mixture with said alkyl halogenated polyarylene in an organic solvent to form a second mixture, said alkyl halogenated polyarylenes having the formula ##STR24## where R is a C 1 to C 10 aliphatic or a C 5 to C 7 cycloaliphatic radical or an aryl radical having the formula ##STR25## wherein each R 1 is independently a C 1 to C 10 aliphatic radical and p is an integer of 0 to 4; X is a halogen such as F, Cl, Br and I; A is hydrogen, halogen, an aliphatic or an aryl radical; Y is a divalent oxygen or sulfur atom or a carbonate group and n is an integer of from about 75 to about 10,000; agitating said second mixture until the desired degree of substitution has taken place and thereafter; separating the modified polyarylene which contains a benzylic substituted Z or a T group in place of the halogen.