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 of highly refractive polyimides derived from 3,6‐bis(4‐aminophenylenesulfanyl)pyridazine and 4,6‐bis(4‐aminophenylenesulfanyl)pyrimidine

A series of aromatic polyimides (PIs) containing pyridazine or pyrimidine in their main chains has been developed. All of the PIs were prepared from newly synthesized diamines, 3,6‐bis(4‐aminophenylenesulfanyl)pyridazine (APP), 4,6‐bis(4‐aminophenylenesulfanyl)pyrimidine (APPM) and aromatic dianhydrides, 4,4′‐[p‐thiobis(phenylenesulfanyl)]diphthalic anhydride (3SDEA) and 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA) via the conventional two‐step polycondensation. The PIs showed good thermal stability with 10% weight loss at temperatures above 450 °C and glass transition temperatures above 190 °C. Films with a 10‐μm thickness exhibited good optical transparency above 80% at 500 nm, high refractive indices ranging from 1.7218 to 1.7499, and low birefringence between 0.0066 and 0.0102. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 4886–4984, 2009     

Synthesis and characterization of new soluble aromatic polyimides from 3,4-bis(4-aminophenyl)-2,5-diphenylpyrrole and aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides

Novel aromatic polyimides containing tetraphenylpyrrole unit were synthesized from 3,4-bis(4-aminophenyl)-2,5-diphenylpyrrole and various aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides by the usual two-step procedure that included ring-opening polyaddition and subsequent thermal cyclodehydration. These polymers had inherent viscosities in the 0.20–0.65 dL/g range and were practically amorphous as shown by the X-ray diffraction studies. All the polyimides except for polypyromellitimide were easily soluble in a wide range of organic solvents such as o-chlorophenol, pyridine, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidone, N,N-dimethylacetamide, and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone at room temperature. These polyimides had high glass transition temperatures of 302–359°C and exhibited 10% weight loss at temperatures above 510°C in nitrogen.     

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 of highly refractive and transparent polyimides derived from 4,4′‐thiobis[2″,6″‐dimethyl‐4″‐(p‐phenylenesulfanyl)aniline]

New sulfur‐containing aromatic diamines with methyl groups at the ortho position of amino groups have been developed to prepare highly refractive and transparent aromatic polyimides (PIs) in the visible region. All aromatic PIs derived from 4,4′‐thiobis[2″‐methyl‐4″‐(p‐phenylenesulfanyl)aniline ( 2 ), 4,4′‐thiobis[2,″6″‐dimethyl‐4″‐(p‐phenylenesulfanyl)aniline ( 5 ), and aromatic dianhydride, 4,4′‐[p‐thiobis(phenylenesulfanyl)]diphthalic anhydride ( 6 ) were prepared via a two‐step polycondensation. All PIs showed good thermal properties, such as 10% weight loss temperature in the range of 497–500 °C and glass transition temperatures above 196 °C. In addition, the PIs showed good optical properties, such as optical transparency above 75% at 450 nm with a 10‐μm film thickness, high refractive indices ranging from 1.7135 to 1.7301, and small in‐plane/out‐of‐plane birefringences between 0.0066 and 0.0076. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 656–662, 2010     

Synthesis and characterization of optically active aromatic polyimides derived from 2,2′-bis(2-trifluoro- 4-aminophenoxy)-1,1′-binaphthyl and aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides

Optically active 2,2′-bis(2-trifluoro-4-aminophenoxy)-1,1′-binaphthyl and its corresponding racemate were prepared by a nucleophilic substitution reaction of 1,1′-bi-2-naphthol with 2-chloro-5-nitrotrifluorotoluene and subsequently by the reduction of the resulting dinitro compounds. A series of optically active and optically inactive aromatic polyimides also were prepared therefrom. These polymers readily were soluble in common organic solvents such as pyridine, N,N′-dimethylacetamide, and m-cresol and had glass-transition temperatures of 256 ∼ 278 °C. The specific rotations of the chiral polymers ranged from 167 ∼ 258°, and their chiroptical properties also were studied. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 4536–4540, 1999     

Synthesis and characterization of new soluble aromatic polyimides from 3,4-bis (4-aminophenyl)-2,5-diphenylfuran and aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides

New soluble polyimides with inherent viscosities of 0.2–0.6 dL/g were synthesized from 3,4-bis (4-aminophenyl)-2,5-diphenylfuran and various aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides by the conventional two-step method which involved ring-opening polyaddition and subsequent cyclodehydration. Almost all of the polymides were generally soluble in a wide range of organic solvents such as N,N-dimethylacetamide, 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidone, m-cresol, o-chlorophenol, and pyridine. The polyimide prepared from pyromellitic dianhydride was crystalline, whereas the other polyimides were amorphous. All the polyimides have glass transition temperatures in the range of 281–344°C and showed no appreciable weight loss up to 410°C in both air and nitrogen atmospheres.     

Synthesis and characterization of alkaline‐soluble triazine‐based poly(phenylene sulfide)s with high refractive index and low birefringence

High‐refractive‐index (high‐n) polymers (HRIPs) with a high optical transparency are highly needed in advanced optoelectronic devices. In this work, we report the synthesis and characterization of a series of high‐n, transparent, totally colorless, and high‐sulfur‐containing poly(phenylene sulfide)s (PPSs) bearing a triazine unit. Two new triazine monomers T1 and T2 with hydroxyl and tert‐butyl acetate side chains, respectively, were designed and synthesized to develop PPSs with high‐n and high alkaline solubility. These PPSs were prepared by the single‐phase polycondensation from T1 / T2 and commercial aromatic dithiols such as 4,4′‐thiobisbenzenethiol ( TBT ) and benzene‐1,3‐dithiol ( BDT ), achieving very high‐n up to 1.7530 at 633 nm, a high optical transparency (T% > 90% @400 nm) and low birefringence (Δn = 0.0014–0.0080), and exhibiting high potential on the application of high‐n photoresists. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 724–731     

Synthesis and properties of polyimides derived from 1,7-bis(4-aminophenoxy)naphthalene and aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides

The novel diamine, 1,7-bis(4-aminophenoxy)naphthalene (1,7-BAPON), was synthesized and used to prepared polyimides. 1,7-BAPON was synthesized through the nucleophilic displacement of 1,7-dihydroxynaphthalene with p-fluoronitrobenzene in the presence of K₂CO₃ followed by catalytic-reduction. Polyimides were prepared from 1,7-BAPON and various aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides by the usual two-step procedure that included ring-opening polyaddition to give poly(amic acid)s, followed by cyclodehydration to polyimides. The poly(amic acid)s had inherent viscosities of 0.74-2.48 dL/g. Most of the polyimides formed tough, creasible films. These polyimides had glass transition temperatures between 247–278°C and their 10% weight loss temperatures were recorded in the range of 515–575°C in nitrogen atmosphere. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel polyimide from bis‐(3‐aminophenyl)‐4‐(trifluoromethyl)phenyl phosphine oxide

A novel diamine, bis‐(3‐aminophenyl)‐4‐(trifluoromethyl)phenyl phosphine oxide (mDA3FPPO), containing phosphine oxide and fluorine moieties was prepared via the Grignard reaction from an intermediate, 4‐(trifluoromethyl)phenyl diphenyl phosphine oxide, that was synthesized from diphenylphosphinic chloride and 4‐(trifluoromethyl)bromobenzene, followed by nitration and reduction. The monomer was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), ¹H NMR, ³¹P NMR, ¹⁹F NMR spectroscopies; elemental analysis; melting point measurements; and titration and was used to prepare polyimides with a number of dianhydrides such as pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA), 5,5′‐[2,2,2‐trifluoro‐1‐(trifluoromethyl)ethyliden]‐bis‐1,3‐isobenzofuranedione (6FDA), 3,3′,4,4′‐benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA), and 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic dianhydride (ODPA). Polyimides were synthesized via a conventional two‐step route; preparation of polyamic acids, followed by solution imidization, and the molecular weight were controlled to 20,000 g/mol. Resulting polyimides were characterized by FTIR, NMR, DSC, and intrinsic viscosity measurements. Refractive‐index, dielectric constant, and adhesive properties were also determined. The properties of polyimides were compared with those of polyimides prepared from 1,1‐bis‐(4‐aminophenyl)‐1‐phenyl‐2,2,2‐trifluoroethane (3FDAm) and bis‐(3‐aminophenyl) phenyl phosphine oxide (mDAPPO). The polyimides prepared from mDA3FPPO provided high glass‐transition temperatures (248–311 °C), good thermal stability, excellent solubility, low birefringence (0.0030–0.0036), low dielectric constants (2.9–3.1), and excellent adhesive properties with Cu foils (107 g/mm). © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 3335–3347, 2001     

Viscosity and refractive index adjustment of poly(methyl methacrylate‐co‐ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate) for application in microoptics

Polymer optical components like waveguides or lenses are gaining more and importance as passive or active devices enabling the formation of a sensor and detector platform, e.g. for monitoring the health of large area functional surfaces, which are difficult to access like the wings of an off‐shore wind energy plant. With respect to low‐loss waveguiding and the use of chemical and mechanical stable polymers there is a need to tailor the optical as well as the thermomechanical properties. The given approach describes the addition of electron‐rich small organic molecules like phenanthrene to a poly(methyl methacrylate)‐based polymer matrix enabling a significant refractive index increase from 1.49 up to almost 1.55 (@589 nm). As undesirable side effects the optical transmittance in the visible range at higher guest molecule content is reduced, and a pronounced plasticizing occurs. Both hamper the application of the mixture, e.g. as optical waveguide material. The plasticizing and the accompanied drop of the glass transition temperature, determining the maximum operation temperature, can be partially compensated by the copolymerization of the methyl methacrylate monomer (MMA) with the difunctional monomer ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) at certain crosslinker content. The resulting new developed guest–host mixtures enable the realization of optical devices with adjusted rheological behavior prior to curing and tailored optical properties after polymerization. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and properties of new polyimides derived from 1,5-bis(4-aminophenoxy)naphthalene and aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides

Novel aromatic polyimides containing bis(phenoxy)naphthalene units were synthesized from 1,5-bis(4-aminophenoxy)naphthalene (APN) and various aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides by the usual two-step procedure that included ring-opening polyaddition in a polar solvent such as N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) to give poly(amic acid)s, followed by cyclodehydration to polyimides. The poly(amic acid)s had inherent viscosities between 0.72 and 1.94 dL/g, depending on the tetracarboxylic dianhydrides used. Excepting the polyimide IVb obtained from 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA), all other polyimides formed brown, flexible, and tough films by casting from the poly(amic acid) solutions. The polyimide synthesized from BPDA was characterized as semicrystalline, whereas the other polyimides showed amorphous patterns as shown by the x-ray diffraction studies. Tensile strength, initial moduli, and elongation at break of the APN-based polyimide films ranged from 105–135 MPa, 1.92–2.50 GPa, and 6–7%, respectively. These polyimides had glass transition temperatures between 228 and 317°C. Thermal analyses indicated that these polymers were fairly stable, and the 10% weight loss temperatures by TGA were recorded in the range of 543–574°C in nitrogen and 540–566°C in air atmosphere, respectively. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel perfluorinated polyimides with 3D‐controlled structures for photonic applications

We have designed and synthesized novel perfluorinated polyimides with 3D controlled structure. At first, we successfully developed the new synthetic routes to diamines with pendant bulky perfluorinated aromatic units in a multi‐step synthetic procedure. Novel perfluorinated polyimides were prepared in a two‐step reaction in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone (NMP) solution: The first step was for the synthesis of polyamic acids (PAAs) and the second reaction was for the imidization of PAA. The polymer yield was over 89% and the inherent viscosity of PAAs was in the range of 0.24–0.36 dL/g. The thin films were prepared by spin‐coating the PAA solution in NMP onto various substrates such as a Si wafer or a KBr pellet, dried at 80 °C and further cured at 230 °C. The resultant polyimides are thermally stable over 400 °C. The refractive index and birefringence of the resultant polyimides are 1.5858–1.6452 and 0.01–0.005, respectively. The refractive index of polyimide decreases with increasing the fluorine content. The copolymerization and the ether linkages into the backbone reduce the birefringence of polyimides. Surprisingly, the pendant ether linkage is not a crucial factor in reducing the polyimide birefringence. Their birefringence is comparatively very low, compared with that of previous polyimides. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1326–1342, 2006     

Synthesis and characterization of novel polyimides derived from 4-phenyl-2, 6-bis [3-(4-aminophenoxy)-phenyl]-pyridine diamine and aromatic dianhydrides

A new kind of pyridine-containing aromatic diamine monomer, 4-phenyl-2, 6-bis [3-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]-pyridine(m-PAPP),was synthesized by a modified Chichibabin reaction of benzaldehyde and a substituted acetophenone, 3-(4-nitrophenoxy)-acetophenone(m-NPAP), and a reduction of the resulting dinitro compound 4-phenyl-2, 6-bis[3-(4-nitrophenoxy)phenyl]-pyridine (m-PNPP) with Pd/C and hydrazine monohydrate, successively. A series of novel aromatic polyimides were prepared from the diamine with various aromatic dianhydrides via a conventional two-step thermal or chemical imidization method. The inherent viscosities of the resulting poly (amic acid) precursors were 1.37-1.56 dL/g, and these polymers 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 glass transition temperatures of these polymers were recorded at 180-264 °C. All of these novel polyimides held 10% weight loss at the temperature above 430 °C and left more than 50% residue even at 800 °C in air, as well as have outstanding mechanical properties with the tensile strengths of 91.6-114.1 MPa and elongations at breakage of 10.1-15.7%. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that these polyimides were predominantly amorphous.     

Synthesis of semiaromatic polyimides from aromatic diamines containing adamantyl units and alicyclic dianhydrides

We prepared new semiaromatic polyimides from alicyclic dianhydrides and aromatic diamines containing adamantyl and biadamantyl units. Polycondensations were performed in 1‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone at room temperature for 7 h and then 80 °C for 23 h, giving poly(amic acid)s with inherent viscosities up to 0.58 dL/g. Poly(amic acid)s were converted to corresponding poly(imide)s by thermal treatment. Poly(imide)s showed relatively high thermal stability (5% weight loss around 450 °C) and low dielectric constants (2.69–2.79). © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 144–150, 2004     

Synthesis and properties of novel polytriazoleimides derived from 1,2,3‐triazole‐containing diamines and aromatic dianhydrides

A new kind of 1,2,3‐triazole‐containing aromatic diamines were synthesized by the Cu(I)‐catalyzed 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reaction. These diamines were employed to synthesize a series of novel polytriazoleimides (PTAIs) by polycondensation with various aromatic dianhydrides in N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc) via the conventional two‐step method. The obtained polyimides were characterized by Fourier transform infrared, hydrogen‐1 nuclear magnetic resonance, X‐ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetric analysis techniques. The results show that the PTAIs are soluble in most of strong polar solvents and have inherent viscosity values of 0.47–0.68 dl/g (DMAc). PTAI films have tensile strengths of 60.6–102.6 MPa and elongations at breakage of 3.0–4.1%, glass transition temperatures (T_g) of 208–262°C, and decomposition temperatures (at 5% weight loss) of 368–401°C in N₂ atmosphere, which depend on the structure of the polymers. The PTAIs also exhibit good adhesion to copper and gas separation properties. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and optical properties of polyimides

Polyimides are important industrial materials because of their excellent properties. They are extensively used in the electronics industry and have great potential in the field of optical communications. In this article, we discuss the effect of the polyimide structure and the processing conditions on the optical properties. Both commercially available fluorinated polyimides and polyimides synthesized in our laboratory were used in this study. The relationship between the extent of fluorination and the refractive index was studied, and it was found that fluorination reduced the refractive index as expected. Studies conducted on the structure–property relationship revealed that with the use of more rigid monomers for the polyimides, the polyimides could be modified to show a large birefringence. The extent of birefringence depended on the composition of the polymer. In addition, the processing conditions directly controlled the residual stress in the polymer films. The residual stress was an important factor in inducing light scattering, which resulted in higher optical loss. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 4832–4838, 2000     

Synthesis and characterization of soluble aromatic polyamides derived from 2,5-bis-(4-chloroformylphenyl)—3,4-diphenylthiophene and aromatic diamines

A new polymer-forming monomer, 2,5-bis(4-carboxyphenyl)—3,4-diphenylthiophene, was synthesized either by the Friedel—Crafts reaction of tetraphenylthiophene with oxalyl chloride directly, or by the Friedel—Crafts acetylation of tetraphenylthiophene, followed by oxidation. The low temperature solution polycondensation of 2,5-bis(4-chloroformylphenyl)—3,4-diphenylthiophene with various aromatic diamines in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) afforded tetraphenylthiophene-containing aromatic polyamides with inherent viscosities of 0.5–1.0 dL/g. Copolyamides were obtained from a mixture of the diacid chloride and isophthaloyl or terephthaloyl chloride. Except for two polyamides, all the others were readily soluble in amidetype solvents including DMAc, and were cast into transparent and flexible films. These polymers had glass transition at around 300°C. Thermal stability of the polymers was evaluated by thermogravimetry which showed no weight loss below 390°C in both air and nitrogen atmospheres.     

Synthesis and characterization of 9,9‐bis(4‐hydroxyphenyl and 4‐aminophenyl)dibenzofluorenes: Novel fluorene‐based monomers

Two novel 9,9‐difunctionalized fluorene‐type monomers, 9,9‐bis(4‐hydroxyphenyl‐ and 4‐aminophenyl)‐2,3:6,7‐dibenzofluorenes, are synthesized by the reaction of dibenzenzofluorenone with phenol and aniline. These monomers are used for the preparation of polyester and polyimide as the typical polymers to evaluate the property change such as thermal stability caused by the benzene rings fused to the fluorene skeleton with keeping good solubility, in comparison with the polymers derived from simple fluorenone. In fact, these two new polymers have the fairly enhanced thermal stability and refractive index value along with satisfactory solubility in organic solvents, enough to emphasize the fusion effect. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 2602–2605