Characterizations and thermal stability of soluble polyimide derived from novel unsymmetrical diamine monomers

Two kinds of novel aromatic, unsymmetrical diamines with ether-ketone group, 3-amino-4′-(4-amino-2-trifluoromethylphenoxy)-benzophenone and 3-amino-4′-(4-aminophenoxy)-benzophenone, was successfully synthesized by two different synthetical routes and polymerized with various aromatic tetracarboxylic acid dianhydrides, including 4,4′-oxydiphthalic anhydride, 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride, and 2,2′-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl)-hexafluoropropane dianhydride, via a conventional two-step thermal or chemical imidization method to produce a series of fluorinated polyimides. The polyimides were characterized with solubility tests, viscosity measurements, mechanical properties tests, IR-FT, and thermogravimetric analysis. The polyimides had inherent viscosities of 0.54-0.77 dL/g and were easily dissolved in both polar, aprotic solvents and common, low-boiling-point solvents. The resulting strong and flexible polyimide films exhibited excellent thermal stability, with decomposition temperatures (at 10% weight loss) above 573 °C and glass-transition temperatures in the range of 222-251 °C. Moreover, the polymer films showed outstanding mechanical properties, with tensile strengths of 86.5-121.6 MPa, elongations at break of 9-16%, and initial moduli of 1.26-1.97 GPa. These outstanding combined features ensure that the polymers are desirable candidate materials for advanced applications.     

Synthesis and characterization of soluble polyimides derived from a novel unsymmetrical diamine monomer: 1,4-(2′,4″-diaminodiphenoxy)benzene

A new aromatic unsymmetrical diamine monomer, 1,4-(2′,4″-diaminodiphenoxy)benzene (OAPB), was successfully synthesized in three steps using hydroquinone as starting material and polymerized with various aromatic tetracarboxylic acid dianhydrides, including 4,4′-oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA), 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA), 2,2′-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl)-hexafluoropropane dianhydride (6FDA) and pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) via the conventional two-step thermal or chemical imidization method to produce a series of the unsymmetrical aromatic polyimides. The polyimides were characterized by solubility tests, viscosity measurements, IR, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction studies, and thermogravimetric analysis. The polyimides obtained had inherent viscosities ranged of 0.38-0.58 dL/g, and were easily dissolved in common organic solvents. The resulting strong and flexible PI films exhibited excellent thermal stability with the decomposition temperature (at 5% weight loss) of above 505 °C and the glass transition temperature in the range of 230-299 °C. Moreover, the polymer films showed outstanding mechanical properties with the tensile strengths of 41.4-108.5 MPa, elongation at breaks of 5-9% and initial moduli of 1.15-1.68 GPa.     

Preparation and properties of thermally stable polyimides derived from asymmetric trifluoromethylated aromatic diamines and various dianhydrides

A novel method for the preparation of an asymmetric fluorinated aromatic diamine, 3,4′-bis(4-amino-2-trifluoromethylphenoxy)-benzophenone was investigated. This new diamine containing trifluoromethyl side group was synthesized from the nucleophilic substitution reaction of 2-chloro-5-nitrobenzotrifluoride and 3,4′-dihydroxybenzo phenone in the presence of potassium carbonate, followed by catalytic reduction with SnCl₂·6H₂O and concentrated hydrochloric acid. This novel diamine was used to react with different commercially available aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides to prepare polyimides via thermal or chemical imidization. The polyimide properties such as inherent viscosity, solubility, thermal and surface properties were investigated to illustrate the contribution of the trifluoromethyl group and the asymmetry structure of the polyimide. The polyimides obtained had good thermal stability and the glass transition temperature values ranged from 225 to 267 °C. All of these novel polyimides held 10% weight loss at the temperature above 543 °C in air and left more than 47% residue even at 800 °C in nitrogen. The inherent viscosities of the obtained polyimides were above 0.73 dL/g and were easily dissolved in both polar, aprotic solvents and some low-boiling-point solvents. Moreover, these PI films had dielectric constants of 2.94-3.53 (1 kHz), with moisture absorption in the range of 0.07-0.34 wt%. In comparison of the PIs (5) series with the analogous symmetric PIs (6) series based on 4,4′-bis(4-amino-2-trifluoromethylphenoxy)-benzophenone, the (5) series revealed better solubility, low dielectric constant and moisture absorption.     

Some aromatic polyimides based on diamines containing hydrazo group and ether linkages

Three new hydrazo-bridged diamines, 4,4′-bis [4-(4-aminophenyloxy) phenylhydrazyl] biphenyl (BPD-2), 4,4′-bis [4-(4-aminophenyloxy) phenylhydrazyl] biphenyl ether (SPD-2) and 4,4-bis [4-(4-aminophenyloxy) phenyl] hydrazine (APD-2), were synthesized by the reduction of three azo-diols, 4,4′-bis (4-azo-1-hydroxyphenyl) biphenyl (BPD), 4,4′-bis (4-azo-1-hydroxyphenyl) biphenyl ether (SPD) and azo-4-hydroxybenzene (APD), and polymerized with pyromellitic dianhydride (PM), 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenone tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (BP) and 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (PR) either by one-step solution polymerization or by two-step procedure which includes ring-opening polyaddition to give poly(amic acid) followed by cyclic dehydration to polyimide. The monomers and polyimides were characterized by their elemental analyses, FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Glass transition temperatures of the polymers are quite high (175-310 °C), characteristic of polyimides. The decomposition temperatures for 10% weight loss fall in the range of 280-575 °C in nitrogen. Activation energies of pyrolysis for each of the polymers calculated from Horowitz and Metzger's method are also high (52.54-95.28 kJ mol⁻¹). The inherent viscosities of the polyimides at a concentration of 0.5 g/dl in DMF range from 0.94 to 1.93 dl/g.     

Synthesis and properties of novel organosoluble polyimides derived from bis[3-(4-amino-2-trifluoromethylphenoxy) phenyl] ether

A new aromatic ether diamine, bis[3-(4-amino-2-trifluoromethylphenoxy) phenyl] ether, was successfully synthesized via nucleophilic substitution reaction of 3,3′-oxydiphenol and 2-chloro-5-nitrotrifluoromethylbenzene, followed by a catalytic reduction. A series of new polyimides were synthesized from the diamine with various commercially available aromatic dianhydrides via a conventional two-stage process, i.e. ring-opening polyaddition forming the poly(amic acid)s and further thermal or chemical imidization forming polyimides. The resulting polyimides exhibited good solubility in polar solvents, such as N,N-dimethylacetamide, N,N-dimethylformamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone and common solvents such as chloroform, tetrahydrofuran upon heating and possessed the inherent viscosities of 0.51-0.68 dL/g. The resulting strong and flexible films exhibited excellent thermal stability with the temperature at 10% weight loss is above 502 °C and the glass transition temperature in the range of 191-232 °C. The polyimides also were found to possess high optical transparency.     

Synthesis and characterization of soluble polyimides based on a new fluorinated diamine: 4-Phenyl-2,6-bis[3-(4′-amino-2′-trifluoromethyl-phenoxy) phenyl] pyridine

A new kind of pyridine-containing aromatic diamine monomer, 4-phenyl-2,6-bis[3-(4′-amino-2′-trifluoromethyl-phenoxy) phenyl] pyridine (m-PAFP), was successfully synthesized by a modified Chichibabin reaction of 3-(4′-nitro-2′-trifluoro-methyl-phenoxy)-acetophenone with benzaldehyde, followed by a catalytic reduction. A series of fluorinated pyridine-bridged aromatic poly(ether-imide)s were prepared from the resulting diamine monomer with various aromatic dianhydrides via a conventional two-step thermal or chemical imidization method. The inherent viscosities values of these polyimides were in the range of 0.56-1.02 dL/g, and they could be cast and thermally converted into transparent, flexible, and tough polyimide films. The polyimides displayed higher solubility in polar solvents such as NMP, DMSO and m-cresol. The polyimides had good thermal stability, with the glass transition temperatures (T_g) of 187-211 °C, the temperatures at 5% weight loss of 511-532 °C, and the residue at 800 °C in air was higher than 50%. These films also had dielectric constants of 2.64-2.74 at 10 MHz and low water uptake 0.53-0.66%. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that these polyimides were predominantly amorphous. Moreover, the polymer films of these novel polyimides showed outstanding mechanical properties with the tensile strengths of 90.1-96.6 MPa, elongations at breakage of 8.9-10.7% and tensile modulus of 1.65-1.98 GPa.     

Phenylethynyl terminated oligoimides derived from 3,3′,4,4′-diphenylsulfonetetracarboxylic dianhydride and their adhesive properties

A series of phenylethynyl terminated oligoimides based on 3,3′,4,4′-diphenylsulfonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (DSDA), m-phenylene diamine (m-PDA) or/and 1,4-bis(4-amino-2-trifluoromethylphenoxy)benzene (6FAPB) with calculated molecular weight of 5000 g mol⁻¹ were synthesized. The effect of molecular structure on solubility and melt viscosity of oligoimides as well as the thermal properties of cured polyimide resins was investigated. Experimental results indicated that the oligoimides have good solubility in strong polar solvents to afford homogeneous solutions with the solid content as high as 50 wt%. The oligoimides exhibited better solubility and lower minimum melt viscosity at relatively lower temperature with the incorporation of flexible 6FAPB. These oligoimides could be thermally cured at 320-380 °C to give thermosetted resins. The cured resins have good thermal stability with the glass transition temperatures of 278-329 °C and the onset decomposition temperatures higher than 500 °C. Adhesive properties of polyimides adhered to stainless steel at various conditions were evaluated by lap shear strength test. It was found that the LSS at room temperature increased with the molar ratio of 6FAPB increasing. The polyimides with combination of rigid and flexible structures exhibited good adhesive properties. With the increasing of curing temperature, the lap shear strength of polyimides at elevated temperature maintained at a high level due to the formation of strong bond.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel fluorinated polyimides derived from 4-phenyl-2,6-bis[4-(4′-amino-2′-trifluoromethyl-phenoxy)phenyl]pyridine and dianhydrides

A series of organo-soluble polyimides were prepared from a novel fluorinated diamine monomer, 4-phenyl-2,6-bis[4-(4′-amino-2′-trifluoromethylphenoxy)phenyl]pyridine and various commercial aromatic dianhydrides. These polyimides had good solubility in common organic solvents. The obtained strong and flexible PI films exhibited excellent thermal stability with the decomposition temperature (at 5% weight loss) of above 561 °C and the glass transition temperature in the range of 258-312 °C. Moreover, the polymer films showed good electrical insulating property, low dielectric constant and low water uptake due to the introduction of fluorinated substitutes in the polymer backbone. The remarkable combined features ensure these polymers to be ideal candidate materials for advanced microelectronic industry and other related applications.     

Synthesis and characterization of new polyimides containing pendent pentadecyl chains

A new unsymmetrical aromatic diamine, viz., 4-pentadecylbenzene-1,3-diamine was synthesized through a series of reaction steps starting from 3-pentadecylphenol. 4-Pentadecylbenzene-1,3-diamine was employed to synthesize a series of new polyimides by one-step polycondensation in m-cresol with four commercially available aromatic dianhydrides, viz., 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA), 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA), 4,4′-oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA) and 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride (6-FDA). Inherent viscosities of resulting polyimides were in the range 0.33-0.67 dL/g and number average molecular weights were in the range 14,700-52,200 (GPC, polystyrene standard). Polyimides containing pendent pentadecyl chains were soluble in organic solvents such as chloroform, m-cresol, N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP), pyridine and nitrobenzene. Strong and flexible films of polyimides could be cast from their chloroform solutions. Polyimides exhibited glass transition temperature in the range 158-206 °C. The temperature at 10% wt. loss (T₁₀), determined by TGA in nitrogen atmosphere, of polyimides was in the range 470-480 °C indicating good thermal stability.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel fluorinated polyimides derived from 1,3-bis(4-amino-2-trifluoromethylphenoxy)naphthalene and aromatic dianhydrides

A new structurally asymmetric diamine monomer containing flexible ether linkages and bulky trifluoromethyl substituents, namely 1,3-bis(4-amino-2-trifluoromethylphenoxy)naphthalene, was prepared from 1,3-dihydroxynaphthalene and 2-chloro-5-nitrobenzotrifluoride. New series of fluorinated polyimides were synthesized from the diamine with six commercially available aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides using a conventional two-stage process with thermal or chemical imidization. The resulting polyimides were highly soluble in a variety of organic solvents and could afford transparent and tough films via solution casting. These polyimides exhibited moderately high glass-transition temperatures (by DSC) of 236-268 °C and softening temperatures (by thermomechanical analysis) of 231-250 °C, and they did not show significant decomposition before 500 °C under either nitrogen or air atmosphere. Also, they revealed low moisture absorptions (0.32-0.78%), low dielectric constants (2.81-3.24 at 10 kHz), and high optical transparency (ultraviolet-visible absorption cutoff wavelengths of 377-426 nm).     

Meltable phenylethynyl-capped oligoimide resins derived from 1,4-bis(4-amino-2-trifluoromethylphenoxy)benzene and 3,4′-oxydianiline

A series of meltable oligoimide resins with controlled molecular weights by reactive phenylethynyl endcapping groups have been prepared by the thermal polycondensation of 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (s-BPDA) with the aromatic diamine mixtures consisting of different mole ratios of 1,4-bis(4-amino-2-trifluoromethylphenoxy)benzene (1,4,4-6FAPB) and 3,4′-oxydianiline (3,4′-ODA) in the presence of 4-phenylethynylphthalic anhydride (PEPA) as molecular weight-controlling and reactive endcapping reagent. Experimental results indicated that the molecular weight-controlled oligoimide resins were mixtures containing a series of biphenylethynyl-endcapped oligoimides with different chemical structures and different molecular weights. The typical oligoimide resins could be melted at temperatures of 300 °C to yield stable molten fluid with melt viscosity of 13.4 Pa s, which was suitable for melt processing. The molten oligoimide resins could be further polymer chain extended and crosslinked by thermal curing of the reactive phenylethynyl groups to give strong and tough thermosetted polyimides. Thus, the oligoimide resin with calculated molecular weight of 2500 exhibited not only good meltability with low melt viscosity, but also high melt stability and fluidability at temperatures of <300 °C. After thermal curing, the obtained thermosetted polyimide showed high glass transition temperature (>316 °C, DMA), excellent thermal stability with initial thermal decomposition temperature of 588 °C and good mechanical properties with flexural strength of 159.1 MPa, flexural moduli of 3.3 GPa, tensile strength of 94.7 MPa and elongation at breakage of 9.0%.     

Synthesis and characterization of some novel aromatic polyimides

Three new diamines 1,2-di(p-aminophenyloxy)ethylene, 2-(4-aminophenoxy)methyl-5-aminobenzimidazole and 4,4-(aminopheyloxy) phenyl-4-aminobenzamide were synthesized and polymerized with 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenone tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (BP), 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropyledene)diphthalic anhydride (HF) and 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (PD) either by one step solution polymerization reaction or by two step procedure. The later includes ring opening poly-addition to give poly(amic acid), followed by cyclodehydration to polyimides with the inherent viscosities 0.62-0.97 dl/g. Majority of polymers are found to be soluble in most of the organic solvents such as DMSO, DMF, DMAc, m-cresol even at room temperature and few becomes soluble on heating. The degradation temperature of the resultant polymers falls in the ranges from 240 °C to 550 °C in nitrogen (with only 10% weight loss). Specific heat capacity at 300 °C ranges from 1.1899 to 5.2541 J g⁻¹ k⁻¹. The maximum degradation temperature ranges from 250 to 620 °C. T_g values of the polyimides ranged from 168 to 254 °C.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel polyimides derived from pyridine-bridged aromatic dianhydride and various diamines

A new kind of pyridine-bridged aromatic dianhydride monomer, 4-phenyl-2,6-bis[4-(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy)phenyl]-pyridine dianhydride (PPDA), was successfully synthesized by modified Chichibabin reaction of benzaldehyde and substituted acetophenone, 4-(3,4-dicyanophenoxy)-acetophenone (DCAP), followed by acidic hydrolysis of the intermediate tetranitrile and cyclodehydration of the resulting tetraacid. The pyridine-bridged aromatic dianhydride was employed to synthesized a series of new pyridine-containing polyimides by polycondensation with various aromatic diamines in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) via the conventional two-step method, i.e. ring-opening polycondensation forming the poly(amic acid)s and further thermal or chemical imidization forming polyimides. The inherent viscosities of the resulting polyimides were in the range of 0.49-0.63 dL/g, and most of them were soluble in aprotic amide solvents and cresols, such as N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), NMP, and m-cresol, etc. Meanwhile, strong and flexible polyimide films were obtained, which have good thermal stability with the glass transition temperatures (T_g) of 223-256 °C, the temperature at 5% weight loss of 523-569 °C, and the residue at 700 °C of 52.1-62.7% in nitrogen, as well as have outstanding mechanical properties with the tensile strengths of 70.7-97.6 MPa and elongations at breakage of 7.9-9.7%. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that these polyimides were predominantly amorphous.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel fluorinated polyimides derived from 1,1′-bis(4-aminophenyl)-1-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)-2,2,2-trifluoroethane and aromatic dianhydrides

A novel fluorinated aromatic diamine 1,1′-bis(4-aminophenyl)-1-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)-2,2,2-trifluoroethane (6FDAM) was synthesized in a simple procedure, which was then employed to prepare a series of fluorinated polyimides with commercial aromatic dianhydrides, such as pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA), 2,2-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane (6FDA), 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) and 4,4′-oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA). The polyimides exhibited good solubility in strong dipolar solvents such as NMP, DMAc, DMF and m-cresol as well as some of low boiling point organic solvents of THF and CHCl₃, etc. Experimental results indicated the polyimides possessed low moisture adsorptions of 0.42-0.95%, low dielectric constant of 2.71-2.95 at 1 MHz, high dielectric strength of 92.0-122.6 kV/mm and good optical transparency with cutoff wavelengths of UV-vis at 330-375 nm. The polyimides also exhibited good mechanical properties as well as excellent thermal and thermo-oxidative stability. The fluorinated polyimides possessed better solubility, lower dielectric constant and water adsorption as well as higher optical transparency than the representative non-fluorinated polyimide derived from PMDA and 4,4′-oxydianiline (ODA).     

Synthesis and nonlinear optical properties of novel Y-type polyimides with enhanced thermal stability of dipole alignment

2,3-Bis-(3,4-dicarboxyphenylcarboxyethoxy)-4′-nitrostilbene dianhydride (4) was prepared and reacted with 1,4-phenylenediamine, 4,4′-oxydianiline, 4,4′-diaminobenzanilide and 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)dianiline to yield novel polyimides 5-8 containing 2,3-dioxynitrostilbenyl groups as NLO-chromophores, which constituted parts of the polymer backbones. The resulting polyimides 5-8 were soluble in polar solvents such as acetone and DMF. Polymers 5-8 showed a thermal stability up to 300 °C in TGA thermograms with T_g values obtained from DSC thermograms in the range of 135-160 °C. The SHG coefficients (d₃₃) of poled polymer films at the 1064 cm⁻¹ fundamental wavelength were around 5.26 × 10⁻⁹ esu. The dipole alignment exhibited exceptionally high thermal stability even at 30 °C higher than T_g and there was no SHG decay below 170-190 °C due to the partial main chain character of polymer structure, which was acceptable for NLO device applications.     

Synthesis of soluble polyimides for vertical alignment of liquid crystal via one-step method

A series of polyimides (PIs) were copolymerized from 4-dodecyloxy-biphenyl-3′,5′-diaminobenzoate (DBPDA), 3,3′-dimethyl-4,4′-methylene-dianiline (DMMDA) and 4,4′-oxydi(phthalic anhydride) (ODPA) via one-step method. The PIs possessed excellent solubility in polar aprotic solvents and easily formed thin flexible films by solution casting. The glass-transition temperatures (T_gs) of the PIs were in the range of 219-242 °C and thermal decomposition temperatures in nitrogen occurred above 350 °C. The resultant PI films exhibited high transparency at wavelengths greater than 400 nm and induced excellent uniform vertical alignment of liquid crystal (LC). Even after the rubbing process, the pretilt angles of LC were still above 89°. The PI seems to be a prospective material for alignment layers in flexible displays.     

Preparation of Meltable Aromatic Polyimides and Their Adhesive Properties

A series of molecular-weight-controlled aromatic polyimides based on 4,4′-oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA), 1,4-bis(4-amino-2-trifluoromethylphenoxy)benzene (6FAPB) and 3,3′-diaminodiphenylsulfone (3,3′-DDS) were synthesized in the presence of phthalic anhydride (PA) as an end-capping agent. The effect of molecular weight on the solubility, melt viscosity, thermal and mechanical properties of the polyimides was investigated. Experimental results demonstrated that the polyimides exhibit good solubility in most polar aprotic solvents and in some common organic solvents, such as DMSO and THF. Homogeneous and stable polyimide solutions with solid contents as high as 40–45 wt% were prepared. High-quality polyimide films were obtained by casting the polyimide solutions onto glass plates and baking them at a relatively low temperature. The polyimide films exhibited outstanding thermal and mechanical properties. The rheological behavior of the polyimides depends on their molecular weight. The adhesive properties of polyimide films bonded to stainless steel at different temperatures were evaluated by the lap shear strength (LSS) test. The polyimides with moderate molecular weight exhibited better adhesive properties. The LSS of polyimide films at ambient and elevated temperatures increased with increasing bonding temperature, which is attributed to the better flow and wetting of the polymer melts during the bonding process.     

Formation of ordered macroporous films from fluorinated polyimide by water droplets templating

Preparation of honeycomb-patterned films from one of soluble fluorinated polyimides in a humid atmosphere was reported in this paper. This polyimide was synthesized from 2,2′-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane dianhydride (6FDA) and 2,2-bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]hexafluoropropane (BDAF) by two-steps method, which has excellent solubility both in strong bipolar solvents or in common low boiling-point solvents. The glass transition temperature of 6FDA-BDAF polyimide was determined by DSC and as 238 °C. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that soluble fluoro-polyimide has good thermal stability with maximum thermal decomposition temperature of 545 °C in nitrogen atmosphere. The honeycomb-patterned films were obtained by casting a drop of polymer solution on a solid substrate in a humid atmosphere. Some influence factors, such as the solution concentration, the type of the solvent and the humidity, were also tested.     

Organo-soluble and transparent polyimides containing phenylphosphine oxide and trifluoromethyl moiety: Synthesis and characterization

A series of aromatic polyimides (PI-II_a-d) containing lateral phenylphosphine oxide (PPO) and trifluoromethyl (-CF₃) moiety were prepared from an aromatic diamine, 2,5-bis[(4-amino-2-trifluoromethylphenoxy)phenyl]diphenyl-phosphine oxide (BATFDPO) and various aromatic dianhydrides via a two-step chemical imidization procedure. In parallel, for comparison, another series of polyimides (PI-I_a-d) without trifluoromethyl were synthesized from a diamine, 2,5-bis[(4-aminophenoxy)-phenyl]diphenylphosphine oxide (BADPO) and the same dianhydrides. It was found that both of the two series of polyimides (PIs) were soluble in polar aprotic solvents, such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) and the solubility of PI-II_a-d was highly enhanced by the introduction of the bulky -CF₃ group. Flexible and tough PI films with tensile strengths higher than 70 MPa were cast from the PI solution. The introduction of -CF₃ moiety slightly sacrificed the thermal stability and mechanical properties of the PI films. For example, PI-II_a-d showed 5% weight loss at 472-476 ^°C, which was about 50 ^°C lower than those of their PI-I_a-d analogues. However, -CF₃ group apparently improved the optical transparency and decreased the refractive indices of the PI films. PI-II_d derived from BATFDPO and 4,4’-hexafluoroisopropylidenediphthalic anhydride (6FDA) exhibited the highest optical transparency with the transmittance of 90% at 400 nm and the refractive index as low as 1.5511 at 1310 nm.     

Synthesis and characterization of fluorinated polyimides for pervaporation of n-heptane/thiophene mixtures

Soluble fluoro-polyimides have been synthesized by reacting of a fluorine-containing aromatic dianhydride, 2,2′-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane dianhydride, with aromatic diamine to yield poly(amic acid)s which were then cyclized to yield polyimide by chemical imidization method. The polyimides have excellent solubility both in strong bipolar solvents, such as NMP and DMAc, and in common organic solvents, such as THF and dioxane, etc. The glass transition temperature of these polyimides were determined by DSC and ranged from 281 to 289 °C. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that these polyimides have good thermal stability with initial thermal decomposition temperature of 520-526 °C. The polyimide asymmetric membranes were prepared by phase inversion method and the inner structure was observed by method of SEM. The pervaporation properties of the prepared polyimides asymmetric membranes for n-heptane/thiophene mixtures were investigated at 40-77 °C and the permeation flux and the sulfur enrichment factor of the polyimide membranes are in the range of 0.56-1.68 kg/m² h and 3.12-2.24, respectively. The result demonstrated that the pervaporation method could be very effective method for desulfurization by polyimides asymmetric membranes with ultrathin skin.