Abstract
New polythioethers were synthesized by Michael addition reaction of bis(1-mercapto-2-ethylether) with various bismaleimides containing ester groups in the backbone. The reaction was performed at room temperature using m-cresol as solvent and in the presence of tributylamine as catalyst. The structures of the obtained polymers were confirmed by IR, 1H-NMR spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. The polymers were characterized by determining softening points, evaluating their solubility and studying their thermal behavior by thermogravimetry (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermooptical (TOA) measurements.