To improve its chemical resistance and mechanical stability, a novel fluorinated poly(arylene ether) bearing a photocrosslinkable chalcone group in the main chain was successfully synthesized by means of polycondensation between 4,4′-dihydroxychalcone and decafluorobiphenyl in N,N-dimethylacetamide in the presence of the excess anhydrous potassium carbonate. The structure of polymer was characterized by 1H NMR and 19F NMR spectroscopies. The resulting polymer shows excellent solubility in common organic solvents, high glass transition temperature and good thermal stability. Crosslinking of the resulted polymer has been demonstrated by UV irradiation. Near-IR spectra of polymer film before and after UV irradiation show no absorption at the telecommunication wavelengths of 1310 and 1550 nm, demonstrating that the resulting polymer is good candidate material for optical waveguide application.

4,4′-Dihydroxychalcone was synthesized under ultrasonic irradiation in the presence of HCl gas as a catalyst. It provided a convenient procedure with shorter reaction time and higher yield compared with conventional methods. The factors influencing the yield were discussed, and the photochemical properties of 4,4′-dihydroxychalcone were also studied.