A Low-Dielectric Polymer Derived from a Biorenewable Phenol (Eugenol)

Abstract

A novel dielectric polysiloxane with low dielectric constants (<2.77) at frequencies ranging from 0.1 to 30.0 MHz was synthesized. The monomer was prepared from renewable eugenol using an extremely low amount of B(C6F5)3 catalyst. After thermal curing, the polysiloxane displayed high thermostability with degradation onset and glass transition temperatures of 400 and 201 °C, respectively. The coefficient of thermal expansion was 64 ppm/°C, and it displayed a low water uptake (<0.15%) when immersed in deionized water at room temperature for 144 h. These properties are comparable to those of other high-performance synthetic polymers, and thus, eugenol could be considered as a sustainable feedstock to prepare high-performance polymers.