Synthesis and characterization of soluble polyimides functionalized with carbazole moieties

Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of new soluble polyimides that are functionalized using carbazole moieties in their side chain. As a monomer for synthesizing the polyimides, 4″‐carbazole‐9‐yl‐[1,1′;2′,1″] terphenyl‐4‐4′‐diamine and 2‐(3‐carbazol‐9‐yl‐propyl)‐biphenyl‐4,4′‐diamine were synthesized and then characterized using ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, FTIR, UV–visible and photoluminescence spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and elemental analysis. The polyimides synthesized via chemical imidization processes were characterized with X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, wide angle X‐ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, DSC, tensile strength measurement, and dielectric property measurement. Results showed that the synthesized polyimides were soluble in a variety of organic solvents, optically transparent in a visible range, thermally stable, mechanically strong, and considerably low dielectric. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 8117–8130, 2008