Microwave-induced and High Temperature Solution Polymerization of 4-(4-t-Butylphenyl)-1,2,4-triazol

4-(4’-tert-Butylphenyl)-1,2,4-triazolidine-3,5-dione, 4-(4’-tert-butylphenyl)urazole (TBPTD) was prepared from 4-tert-butylbenzoic acid in 5 steps. TBPTD was reacted with n-propylisocyanate in dry N,N’-dimethylformamide and the resulting bisurea derivative was obtained in high yield and it was finally used as a model for polymerization reaction. The step-growth polymerization reactions of monomer TBPTD with hexamethylene diisocyanate, isophorone diisocyanate and toluene-2,4-diisocyanate were performed in N,N’-dimethylacetamide solution in the presence of pyridine, triethylamine or dibutyltin dilaurate as a catalyst. The step-growth reactions were performed under microwave irradiation as well as high temperature solution polymerization. The polycondensation proceeded rapidly, compared with the conventional solution polycondensation and it was almost completed within 10-18 min. The resulting novel polyureas have an inherent viscosity (inh.) in a range of 0.025-0.306 dL/g in DMF or sulphuric acid at 25°C. These new polyureas were characterized by IR, 1H NMR, elemental analysis and TGA. Some physical properties and structural characterization of these novel polyureas are reported.