Crosslinkable fluorinated poly(arylene ethers) bearing phenyl ethynyl moiety for low-loss polymer optical waveguide devices

Crosslinkable fluorinated poly(arylene ethers) (FPAE-Fn-PEP) with high transparency and high thermal stability have been investigated for low-loss optical waveguide materials. FPAE-Fn-PEP bearing phenyl ethynyl moiety at the polymer chain end were synthesized by the reaction of 4,4′-(hexafluoro-isopropylidene)diphenol with an excess decafluorobiphenyl, followed by the reaction of 4-phenyl ethynyl phenol. The M_ns and M_w/M_ns of the polymers determined by GPC with polystyrene standard were in the range of 6200 to 19,400 and 1.4 to 2.04, respectively. The resulting polymers were thermally crosslinked at 320°C for 2 h. The cured polymers show good chemical resistance and high thermal stability up to 510°C under nitrogen. The refractive indices of their films were controlled between 1.495 and 1.530 at 1.55 μm by adjusting molecular weight. A single-mode channel waveguide made of FPAE-F20-PEP was fabricated by conventional photolithography and O₂ reactive ion etching (RIE). The propagation loss of the channel waveguide was measured and found to be less than 0.2 dB/cm at 1.55 μm. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 2881–2887, 1998     

Fluorinated poly(arylene ether ketone)s bearing pentafluorostyrene moieties prepared by a modified polycondensation

The polycondensation of decafluorobenzophenone with hexafluorobisphenol A was modified by the addition of a molecular sieve dehydrating apparatus to the refluxing reaction system. This modification promoted the polymerization and enabled the reactions to be conducted in milder conditions and completed in a shorter time, thereby depressing side reactions such as branching and crosslinking. The resulting fluorinated poly(arylene ether ketone)s (FPAEK) were free of gel particles and possessed the designed molecular weights. This modified procedure was also suitable for introducing crosslinkable pentafluorostyrene (FSt) moieties into the polymers at the chain ends and/or inside the chain with the vinyl group of FSt being pendant. The resulting FSt containing fluorinated poly(arylene ether ketone)s (FPAEK‐FSt) can then be thermally crosslinked at 100 °C in the presence of 1% benzoyl peroxide (BPO) or at 250 °C without any initiator. The glass‐transition temperatures (T_g's) of FPAEK increased with increasing molecular weight and leveled off at about 147 °C for the polymer with a number‐average molecular weight of 18,600 Da, whereas the values were not apparently affected by the addition of FSt units. However, crosslinking of the FPAEK‐FSt resulted in an approximate 30 °C increase of the T_g. Spin‐coating FPAEK‐FSt onto silicon wafers followed by crosslinking gave films with excellent thermal stability, physical strength, and adhesion to the substrate as well as good reproducibility in terms of film preparation and optical properties. The refractive index and birefringence of the films measured at a wavelength of 1.55 μm were 1.502 and 2.5 × 10^?3, respectively. © 2002 Government of Canada. Exclusive worldwide publication rights in the article have been transferred to Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 4205–4216, 2002     

Absolute absorption measurements of polymer films for optical waveguide applications by photothermal deflection spectroscopy

A self‐contained experimental technique is proposed for measuring the absolute optical absorption spectra, thermal diffusivity, and thermal conductivity of polymer thin films. The technique is based on photothermal deflection spectroscopy and provides sensitivity that is high enough to quantify the very small optical absorption losses in polymer films used for optical waveguide applications. The capabilities of the technique are demonstrated with measurements performed on thin films of poly(methyl methacrylate) and a fluorinated polymer (CYTOP). An error analysis is presented, and the factors are discussed that influence the accuracy of the technique. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 2717–2726, 2001     

Synthesis and characterization of highly refractive polyimides from 4,4′‐thiobis[(p‐phenylenesulfanyl)aniline] and various aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides

An aromatic sulfur‐containing diamine 4,4′‐thiobis[(p‐phenylenesulfanyl) aniline] (3SDA) was synthesized and polymerized with a sulfur‐containing dianhydride 4,4′‐[p‐thiobis(phenylenesulfanyl)]diphthalic anhydride (3SDEA) and three nonsulfur aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides, respectively to afford four poly(amic acid)s (PAAs) with the inherent viscosities of 0.54–1.04 dL/g. Flexible and tough polyimide (PI) films obtained from the PAA precursors showed good thermal, mechanical, and optical properties. The glass transition temperatures (T_gs) of the PIs ranged from 179.1–227.2 °C determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and 173.8–227.3 °C by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), depending on the dianhydride used. The 10% weight loss temperatures were in the range of 500–536 °C, showing high intrinsic thermal‐resistant characteristics of the PI films. The PI films also showed good optical transparency above 500 nm, which agreed well with the calculated absorption spectra using the time‐dependent density functional theory. The average refractive indices (n_av) measured at 632.8 nm were 1.7191–1.7482, and the in‐plane/out‐of‐plane birefringences (Δn) were 0.0068–0.0123. The high refractive indices originate from the high sulfur contents, good molecular packing, and the absence of bulky structures. The relatively small birefringence mainly results from the flexible thioether linkages structures of the diamine. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 5606–5617, 2007     

Synthesis and properties of nonlinear optical side chain soluble polyimides for photonics applications

Aromatic polyimides with side chain nonlinear optical chromophores have been investigated through a facile two-step synthetic route. First, various poly(hydroxy imide)s have been synthesized by direct thermal imidization of diaminophenol dihydrochloride salt and aromatic dianhydride monomers. The resulting polyimides bearing phenolic hydroxy groups were found to react easily with the terminal hydroxy group on the chromophores via the Mitsunobu condensation to give corresponding polyimides with high optical nonlinearities and good solubility in common organic solvents. Detailed physical properties showed that these polyimides have a molecular weight (M_w) of 31,000 and high glass transition temperature above 220°C, ensuring a long-term alignment stability at elevated temperature. The electrooptic coefficients, r₃₃, of the electrically poled polymer films were in the range 1.8–7.6 pm/V at 1.3 μm. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 301–307, 1998     

Synthesis and nonlinear optical properties of side chain liquid crystalline polymers containing azobenzene push–pull chromophores

Azobenzene monomeric precursors bearing piperazine as donor moiety with different withdrawing groups and derived side chain polymethacrylates have been prepared and characterized. Monomers having terminal cyano or nitro groups, and the corresponding polymers, exhibited smectic A phases. Linear and nonlinear optical properties of every monomer and thin films of the cyano polymer ( pol‐PZ‐CN ) have been also studied. UV‐vis spectroscopy revealed out‐of‐plane orientation in the as prepared films, as confirmed by waveguide refractive index measurements. Moreover, absorption spectra indicated the presence of azo aggregates in these films. The initial molecular arrangement has been modified by applying thermal annealing within the mesophase range and UV‐blue irradiation. Although thermal annealing resulted in a significant amplification of the out‐of‐plane optical anisotropy due to thermotropic self‐organization of side chain azo moieties, irradiation with 440 nm light induced some disruption of aggregates. The nonlinear optical response of Corona poled films has been studied by second harmonic generation measurements, and the influence of the molecular arrangement on the nonlinear d_ij coefficients has been analyzed. The more efficient poling corresponded to preirradiated films. In any case, a noticeable degree of polar order (70% of the initial d₃₃ value) remained for several months after the poling in films kept at RT. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 232–242, 2010     

Synthesis and characterization of fluorinated benzoxazole polymers with high Tg and low dielectric constant

Next generation microelectronic packaging requirements are driving the need to produce increasingly lower dielectric constant materials while maintaining high thermal stability and ease of processing. Efforts have focused on the synthesis and analysis of new polymers with the goals of high thermal stability [degradation temperature (T_d) > 400 °C, low glass‐transition temperature (T_g) > 350 °C], low water uptake (<1%), solubility in selected organic solvents, dielectric constant less than 2.5, and low thermal expansion coefficient. These stringent combined goals have been largely achieved with flexible aromatic benzoxazole polymers. Intramolecular hydrogen bonding between pendant hydroxyl groups and the double‐bond nitrogen of the benzoxazole has been exploited to increase the polymer T_g, whereas the incorporation of perfluoroisopropyl units effectively decreases the dielectric constant. Out‐of‐plane impedance measurements on films of materials in this family (38–134 μm thick) have resulted in typical dielectric values of 2.1–2.5 at 1 MHz, depending on copolymer ratios and functionalizations. Results have been correlated with optical waveguide measurements of films 4‐μm thick to determine film anisotropy and the high‐frequency dielectric constant, and have been corroborated by in‐plane interdigitated electrode dielectric measurements on samples 0.75 μm thick. Candidate materials exhibited extremely low water uptake (0.2%) even after submersion in boiling water for several days. Dynamic mechanical analysis of the polymers enabled the determination of the influence of intermolecular hydrogen bonding on the T_g and loss tangent magnitude. Finally, the coefficient of thermal expansion has been examined and correlated with copolymer constitution. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1991–2003, 2000     

Synthesis and properties of highly refractive polyimides derived from fluorene‐bridged sulfur‐containing dianhydrides and diamines

Highly refractive and transparent polyimides (PIs) based on fluorene‐bridged and sulfur‐containing monomers have been developed. An aromatic dianhydride, 4,4′‐[p‐thiobis(phenylenesulfanyl)]diphthalic anhydride (3SDEA), was polymerized with several fluorene‐containing diamines, including commercially available 9,9′‐bis(p‐aminophenyl)fluorene (APF), 9,9′‐bis[4‐(p‐aminophenoxy)phenyl]fluorene (OAPF), and newly synthesized 9,9′‐bis[4‐(p‐aminophenyl)sulfanylphenyl]fluorene (ASPF) to afford series A PIs. Meanwhile, series B PIs were obtained from a new dianhydride, 4,4′‐[(9H‐fluorene‐9‐ylidene)bis(p‐phenylsulfanyl)]diphthalic anhydride (FPSP) and two aromatic diamines, ASPF and 4,4′‐thiobis[(p‐phenylenesulfanyl)aniline] (3SDA) via a two‐step polycondensation procedure. The PIs exhibit good thermal stabilities, such as relatively high glass transition temperatures in the range of 220–270 °C and high initial thermal decomposition temperatures (T_10%) exceeding 490 °C. The 9,9′‐disubstituted fluorene moieties endow the PI films with good optical transparency. The optical transmittances of the PI films at 450 nm are all higher than 80% for the thickness of about 10 μm. Furthermore, the highly aromatic fluorene moiety and flexible thioether linkages in the molecular chains of the PIs provide them with high refractive indices of 1.6951–1.7258 and small birefringence of 0.0056–0.0070. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 1510–1520, 2008     

Synthesis and properties of poly(silylenephenylenevinylene)s

Polymerization of o-, m-, and p-(dimethylsilyl)phenylacetylene by chloroplatinic acid-catalyzed hydrosilylation gave the corresponding poly(dimethylsilylenephenylenevinylene)s. The monomer reactivity and polymer structure were very much dependent upon the substituent position. Interesting optical behavior and thermal properties were observed which suggested the polymers to be useful as preceramic materials. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2263–2273, 1999     

Large electro‐optic activity and enhanced temporal stability of methacrylate‐based crosslinking hyperbranched nonlinear optical polymer

A methacrylate‐based crosslinking hyperbranced polymers have been synthesized through initiator‐fragment incorporation radical polymerization and used for the temperature stable electro‐optic (EO) polymer application. This polymer consists of methyl methacrylate, 2‐metacryloxyethyl isocyanate, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) monomers. The use of EGDMA as a bifunctional unit resulted in the solvent‐soluble crosslinking hyperbranched chain, so that the EO polymer enhanced glass transition temperatures. A phenyl vinylene thiophene vinylene bridge nonlinear optical chromophore was attached to the polymer backbone as the side‐chain by a post‐functionalization reaction. The loading concentration of the chromophore was varied between 30 and 50 wt % by simply changing the mixing ratio of the precursor polymer to the chromophore. The synthesized EO polymers produced optical quality films with a light propagation loss of 0.61 dB/cm in a slab waveguide at 1.31 μm. The electrically poled film had an EO coefficient (r₃₃) of 139 pm/V at 1.31 μm. The EO crosslinking hyperbranced polymer had a high‐glass transition temperature of 170 °C, and exhibited excellent temporal stability of the EO activity at 85 °C for 500 h. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

In situ measurement of the thermal expansion behavior of benzocyclobutene films

In situ measurement techniques suitable for determination of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) in thin, spin‐cast polymer films in both the in‐plane and through‐plane directions are presented. An examination of the thermal expansion behavior of cyclotene thin films has been performed. In particular, the effect of film thickness on the in‐plane and through‐plane CTE and in‐plane Young's modulus of spin‐coated cyclotene films was examined. It is shown that the mechanical response of in situ cyclotene films can be adequately described by isotropic film properties. It was also demonstrated that there is no thickness dependence on the free‐standing mechanical properties or on the resulting through‐plane thermal strain in an in situ film. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 311–321, 1999     

Condensative chain polymerization. II. Preferential esterification of propagating end group in Pd-catalyzed CO-insertion polycondensation of 4-bromophenol derivatives

For a development of condensative chain polymerization where polycondensation proceeds from an initiator in a chain polymerization manner to yield polymer with a defined molecular weight and a narrow molecular weight distribution, the Pd-catalyzed polycondensation of 4-bromophenol derivatives with CO is studied. Model reactions showed that monomer reacted the polymer terminal Br preferentially compared to the monomer Br, but that the ester exchange reaction of polymer backbone with monomer phenoxide occurred in some extent. In the polymerization of 4-bromo-2-n-octylphenol with CO using 4-bromo-2,6-dimethylphenyl benzoate as an initiator, the molecular weight of polymer increased in proportion to time up to 30 min. The GPC elution curves showed that oligomers were produced from the initiator. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2607–2618, 1999     

Solid‐state amidization and imidization reactions in vapor‐deposited poly(amic acid)

The condensation polymerization of 4,4′‐oxydianiline with pyromellitic dianhydride for the formation of poly(amic acid) and the subsequent imidization for the formation of polyimides were investigated for films prepared with vapor‐deposition polymerization techniques. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermal analysis, and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry of films at different temperatures indicated that additional solid‐state polymerization occurred before imidization. The experiments revealed that, upon vapor deposition, poly(amic acid) oligomers formed that had a number‐average molecular weight of about 1500 Da. Between 100–130 °C, these chains underwent an additional condensation reaction and formed slightly higher molecular weight oligomers. Calorimetry measurements showed that this reaction was exothermic [enthalpy of reaction (ΔH) ～ ?30 J/g] and had an activation energy of about 120 kJ/mol. The experimental ΔH values were compared with results from ab initio molecular modeling calculations to estimate the number of amide groups formed. At higher temperatures (150–300 °C), the imidization of amide linkages occurred as an endothermic reaction (ΔH ～ +120 J/g) with an activation energy of about 130 kJ/mol. The solid‐state kinetics depended on the reaction conversion as well as the processing conditions used to deposit the films. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5999–6010, 2004     

Synthesis,photoluminescence, and electrochromism of polyamides containing (3,6‐di‐tert‐butylcarbazol‐9‐yl)triphenylamine units

A new carbazole‐derived, triphenylamine (TPA)‐containing aromatic dicarboxylic acid monomer, 4,4′‐dicarboxy‐4″‐(3,6‐di‐tert‐butylcarbazol‐9‐yl)TPA, was synthesized, and it led to a series of electroactive aromatic polyamides with main‐chain TPA and pendent 3,6‐bis(tert‐butyl)carbazole units by reacting it with various aromatic diamines via the phosphorylation polyamidation technique. The polyamides were amorphous with good solubility in many organic solvents and could be solution‐cast into flexible and strong films. They showed high glass‐transition temperatures (282–335 °C) and high thermal stability (10% weight loss temperatures >480 °C). The electroactive polymer films had well‐defined and reversible redox couples with good cycle stability in acetonitrile solutions. The polymer films also exhibited fluorescent and multielectrochromic behaviors. The anodically electrochromic polyamide films had moderate coloration efficiency (～100 cm²/C) and high optical contrast ratio of transmittance change (Δ%T) up to 47% at 813 nm and 48% at 414 nm for the green coloring. After hundreds of cyclic switches, the polymer films still retained good redox and electrochromic activity. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Synthesis and properties of wholly aromatic polymers bearing cardo fluorene moieties

Three series of aromatic polyamides, polyesters, and poly(1,3,4‐oxadiazole)s containing bulky fluorene structures were prepared from 9,9‐bis(4‐carboxyphenyl) fluorene. All of the polymers were readily soluble in many organic solvents and showed useful thermal stability associated with high glass‐transition temperatures in the range of 220–366 °C. These wholly aromatic polymer films were colorless, with high optical transparency, and exhibited UV‐vis absorption bands at 266–348 nm and photoluminescence maximum bands at 368–457 nm within the purple to green region in N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc) solutions. The poly(amine‐amide) Ic exhibited excellent electrochromic contrast and coloration efficiency, changing color from the colorless neutral form to green and then to the dark blue oxidized forms with good stability of electrochromic characteristics. Almost all of these wholly aromatic polymer films were colorless and showed high optical transparency. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 4352–4363, 2007     

Synthesis and characterization of high refractive index polyimides derived from 2,5‐Bis(4‐Aminophenylenesulfanyl)‐3,4‐Ethylenedithiothiophene and aromatic dianhydrides

The authors describe the synthesis and characterization of the polyimide (PI) series containing a 2,5‐bis(4‐aminophenylenesulfanyl)‐3,4‐ethylenedithiothiophene (APSEDTT) moiety in their main chain. The APSEDTT monomer with high sulfur content was prepared and polymerized with several aromatic dianhydrides such as 4,4′‐[p‐thio bis(phenylenesulfanyl)]diphthalic anhydride (3SDEA), 4,4′‐biphthalic anhydride (BPDA), and 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA) by the traditional two‐step polycondensation procedure. All PIs exhibited high transparency, higher than 75% at 550 nm for a thickness of about 20 μm and good thermal properties such as thermal decomposition temperatures (T_10%) in the range of 409–521 °C. In addition, the PIs have extraordinarily excellent optical properties in refractive index and birefringence as originally designed. In particular, the PI derived from APSEDTT and 3SDEA showed a high refractive index (1.7586), and a low birefringence (0.0087) because of their very high sulfur content (27.7%). © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015 , 53, 944–950     

Synthesis and characterization of main‐chain NLO oligomers and polymer that contain 4‐dialkylamino‐ 4′‐(alkylsulfonyl)azobenzene chromophores

An ω‐amino carboxylic acid monomer that contained a nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophore was prepared by a convergent synthesis. Strategies for selective protection/deprotection of the amino and carboxylic acid functionalities were developed. The protected monomer, 4‐[N‐(4‐benzyloxycarbonyl)butyl‐N‐methylamino]‐4′‐[2″,5″‐bis(decyloxy)‐4″‐(phthalimidomethyl)benzylsulfonyl]azobenzene, could be deprotected selectively or sequentially to give HOOC‐monomer‐N‐phthaloyl, benzyl‐OOC‐monomer‐NH₂, or HOOC‐monomer‐NH₂. Sequential synthesis was performed to yield main‐chain NLO dimers and tetramers. This was accomplished by selective deprotection and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide coupling. The HOOC‐monomer‐NH₂ was polymerized by treatment with diphenylphosphoryl azide to give a main‐chain NLO polyamide. The monomer, dimer, tetramer, and polymer NLO materials were characterized by ¹H, ¹³C, IR, and UV–visible spectroscopy as well as by gel permeation chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, and elemental analysis. The NLO properties of these materials were measured. Thin films of the oligomers and polymer were prepared by spin casting on indium‐tin oxide coated glass. The second‐order NLO properties of the oligomers and polymer thin films were studied by in situ corona poling/second‐harmonic generation and attenuated total reflection methods. The optimal poling temperatures were significantly lower than the melting temperatures or glass‐transition temperatures of the oligomers and polymer. The poling efficiency increased in the following order: monomer, oligomers, and polymer. An electro‐optic coefficient of 4 pm/V at 1.06 μm was obtained for the polymer. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 546–559, 2000     

Bis[4-monosubstituted-5(4H)oxazolinones] as coupling agents for block copolymer synthesis: Reaction with amine-terminated oligomers and with hydroxy-terminated/amine-terminated oligomer mixtures

Block copolymers were prepared by the bulk reaction of mixtures of amine-terminated aliphatic polyamides and polyethers with bis[4-monosubstituted 5(4H)-oxazolinones] as the coupling agents. The simultaneous chain-coupling reaction of amine-terminated polyethers and hydroxy-terminated polyesters with these coupling agents also was investigated. As indicated by NMR and size exclusion chromatography studies, block copolymers of M_n ≥ 10,000 were obtained without side reactions in a much shorter reaction time than required when the conventional reaction was used between oligomers bearing mutually reactive end-groups. The block copolymers behaved as thermoplastic elastomers. Their thermal and thermomechanical properties were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis and compared to the block copolymers synthesized in the conventional way. When low molar mass oligomers were used (M_n ≤ 1000), copolymers of low crystallinity or amorphous copolymers were obtained. This was assigned to the disruption of chain regularity induced by the presence of the chain-coupling-agent moieties. However, properties comparable to those of copolymers obtained by using the conventional method were obtained by reacting oligomers of M_n ≥ 2000. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 4412–4421, 1999     

Synthesis and properties of a second‐order nonlinear optical side‐chain polyimide

A thermal stable aromatic polyimide (PI) with side‐chain second‐order nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophores has been developed. The PI was prepared by the ring‐opening polyaddition of 4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride with a new diamine having two N‐ethyl‐N‐[4‐[(6‐chlorobenzothiazol‐2‐yl)diazenyl]phenyl]‐2‐aminoethanol units as the NLO chromophore, followed by poling during or after the thermal imidization process. The resulting PI had number and weight‐average molecular weights (M_n, M_w) of 25,000 and 80,000, respectively, and a relatively high glass transition temperature of 180°C. The second harmonic coefficient (d₃₃) of PI at the wavelength of 1.064 μm was 138 pm/V (329.6 × 10⁻⁹ esu) and remained unchanged at elevated temperatures. The corona poling process of the NLO‐substituted poly(amic acid) to the PI was also studied in detail by measuring the second harmonic generation (SHG) from the polymer films. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1321–1329, 1999     

Novel poly(pyridine imide) with pendent naphthalene groups: Synthesis and thermal,optical, electrochemical,electrochromic, and protonation characterization

A new diamine containing a pyridine heterocyclic group and a naphthalene substituent, 4-(2-naphthyl)-2,6-bis(4-aminophenyl) pyridine (NBAPP), was synthesized with the Chichibabin reaction and used in the preparation of poly(pyridine imide) by direct polycondensation with 4,4′-hexafluoroisopropylidenediphathalic anhydride in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP). The poly(pyridine imide) derived from diamine NBAPP with naphthalene substituents was highly organosoluble: it was soluble in tetrahydrofuran, NMP, N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), N,N-dimethylformamide, and γ-butyrolactone at room temperature and in pyridine, dimethyl sulfoxide, and cyclohexanone upon heating at 70 °C. The poly(pyridine imide) was converted into lightly colored, optically transparent, flexible, and tough polyimide films via casting onto glass from a DMAc solution. This polymer exhibited good thermal stability (temperature of 10% weight loss = 527 °C) in air and high dielectric constants (as high as 4.20 at 1 kHz). The polyimide films had a tensile strength of 102 MPa and a tensile modulus of 1.8 GPa. As for the optical properties, the polymer exhibited UV–vis absorption bands in the region of 223–450 nm and possessed strong green-yellow fluorescence (500 nm) after being protonated with acid. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 2367–2374, 2007