Patent ID: 6864339

Claim:
A process for making aromatic polymers, the process comprising the step of providing a reaction mixture comprising: (a) a monomer mixture selected from: (i) a first monomer mixture comprising a plurality of at least one first aromatic monomer and a plurality of at least one second aromatic monomer, wherein the first aromatic monomer has at least two first reactive groups and has a Formula (I) below: X—Ar 1 —X (I) wherein: X is the first reactive group selected from bromo, iodo, chloro, p-toluenesulfonate, methylsulfonate, and trifluoromethylsulfonate, and Ar 1 is an aromatic moiety; and wherein the second aromatic monomer has at least two second reactive groups and has a Formula (II) below: Y—Ar 2 —Y (II) wherein: Y is the second reactive group selected from a boronic acid, a boronic ester and a borane, and Ar 2 is an aromatic moiety that is same or different from Ar 1 in Formula (I); and (ii) a second monomer mixture comprising a plurality of at least one third aromatic monomer and at least one fourth aromatic monomer, wherein the at least one third aromatic monomer has at least one first reactive group and at least one second reactive group and having Formula (III) below: X—Ar 3 —Y (III) wherein: X and Y are as defined in Formula (I) and (II) respectively, and Ar 3 is an aromatic moiety that is the same or different from Ar 1 in Formula (I) and Ar 2 in Formula (II); and wherein the at least one fourth aromatic monomer has at least one first reactive group and at least one second reactive group and having Formula (IV) below: X—Ar 4 —Y (IV) wherein: X and Y are as defined in Formula (I) and (II) respectively, and Ar 4 is an aromatic moiety that is the same or different from Ar 1 in Formula (I); Ar 2 in Formula (II) and Ar 3 in Formula (III); (b) a catalytic amount of a catalyst comprising a phosphine oxide transition metal complex dimer comprising two transition metal atoms bonded to at least one phosphine oxide ligand each, wherein each transition metal is bonded to said ligands via metal-phosphorus bonds, and wherein the two transition metal atoms are bridged via two halogen atoms, (c) a base, and (d) an organic solvent, and wherein the mixture is provided without the use of an oxygen-free environment.