Purity characterization of 3,3′-disulfonated-4,4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulfone (SDCDPS) monomer by UV–vis spectroscopy

The purity of the disulfonated monomer, 3,3′-disulfonated-4,4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulfone (SDCDPS), is very important for obtaining high molecular weight disulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) random or block copolymers, which are promising candidates for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. For commercialization purposes, direct use of unrecrystallized SDCDPS monomer with known purity in the copolymerization favorably influences its economics relative to the traditional recrystallization purification process. In this paper, a novel method to characterize the purity of the prepared unrecrystallized SDCDPS has been developed using UV–vis spectroscopy. The purity of the comonomer was determined from a Beers Law calibration curve developed using a highly purified SDCDPS sample. High molecular weight poly(arylene ether sulfone) random copolymers, based on this unrecrystallized SDCDPS monomer, 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyl sulfone (DCDPS), and 4,4′-biphenol monomers, were successfully synthesized. The molecular weight obtained from gel permeation chromatography (GPC) (Mn > 45 kg mol−1) was high enough to allow tough films for PEMs to be solvent cast. This confirmed that the purity characterization method was relatively accurate and applicable. The effect of storage and drying time of SDCDPS were also studied using Beerʹs Law plots.