Polyethernitrile (PENI) Heat Resistant Polymer From 2,6-Dichlorobenzonitrile and Resorcinol

Published February 1995

PENI is a super-heat-resistant thermoplastic commercialized recently by Idemitsu Kosan and intended to serve in the same market areas as polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyaryletherketone (PAEK), and to some extent polyethersulfone (PES) resins. PENI has reported property advantages in heat resistance over the PES polymers and in tensile strength over all the polymers.

PENI is produced by a batch reaction using simple chemistry with nearly 100% yields. The reaction of 2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile (DCBN) with resorcinol eliminates HCl, which is absorbed by finely divided sodium carbonate. Production of DCBN is complex, causing raw material cost to be a major portion of the polymer cost.