Patent ID: 8846857

Claim:
A modified polyphenylene sulfide obtained by a method comprising the steps of: a) contacting, in the presence of a suitable solvent, a polyphenylene sulfide with at least one reducing agent and at least one base to form a first mixture, wherein the reducing agent comprises zinc(0), tin(0), tin(II), bismuth (0), bismuth(III), or a combination thereof, and the ratio of the reducing agent to the polyphenylene sulfide is from about 0.0001:1 to about 0.5:1 on a weight basis; b) heating the first mixture to a sufficient temperature and for a sufficient time to form a second mixture wherein the polyphenylene sulfide is dissolved in the solvent; and c) precipitating the dissolved polyphenylene sulfide from the second mixture to obtain a modified polyphenylene sulfide having improved thermo-oxidative stability relative to the thermo-oxidative stability of the polyphenylene sulfide of step a) measured under the same conditions.