Molecular aggregation of solid aromatic polymers. I. Small-angle x-ray scattering from aromatic polyimide film

Molecular aggregation in a commercial polyimide film, Du Pont Kapton, was investigated by small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). From the analysis of the desmeared SAXS curve, it is concluded that aggregation in the Kapton film can be elucidated in terms of a two-phase structure having electron density fluctuations within the phases. For comparison with the molecular aggregation in Kapton, molecular aggregation in polyimides synthesized in our laboratory was also investigated. It was found in this case that molecular aggregation is controlled by the initial imidization temperature. Molecular aggregation of polyamic acid and polyimide cyclized at a low temperature gives amorphous structures. On the other hand, molecular aggregation of polyimide cyclized at high temperatures gives two-phase structures like that of Kapton film. The SAXS curve for a polyimide having the two-phase structure shows a peak due to interference between ordered regions. The two-phase structure of the polyimide can be explained in terms of a one-dimensional model. The more ordered phase is produced at the higher initial imidization temperature. The relative density difference between two phases is only a few percent for polyimide films cyclized at high temperatures. This result shows that the two-phase structure of aromatic polyimide differs essentially from that of ordinary crystalline polymers.     

Experimental verification of yield strength of polymeric line contact structures

Polymeric line contact structures are increasingly being used in engineering applications, so that the determination of the yield strength of the structures is of great importance. However, experimental investigation has shown that the current prediction of the yield strength in engineering provides conservative results relative to the actual yield behaviour of the structures. In the present study, a more accurate assessment for the yield strength of a line contact structure is proposed and, more importantly, this assessment was verified by a series of specially designed line contact tests based on optical full-field measurements. Specifically, the validity of this proposed assessment was examined by loading and unloading a polymeric line contact structure at different loading levels, and its accuracy was validated by singly loading line contact structures made from different polymeric materials until the occurrence of significant global plastic deformation. The experimental results confirmed that this proposed yield strength assessment enables accurate determination of the yield behaviour of line contact structures.     

Surface plasma treatment effects on the molecular structure at polyimide/air and buried polyimide/epoxy interfaces

Polyimides are widely used as chip passivation layers and organic substrates in microelectronic packaging. Plasma treatment has been used to enhance the interfacial properties of polyimides, but its molecularmechanism is not clear. In this research, the effects of polyimide surface plasma treatment on the molecular structures at corresponding polyimide/air and buried polyimide/epoxy interfaces were investigated in situ using sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy. SFG results show that the polyimide backbone molecular structure was different at polyimide/air and polyimide/epoxy interfaces before and after plasma treatment. The different molecular structures at each interface indicate that structural reordering of the polyimide backbone occurred as a result of plasma treatment and contact with the epoxy adhesive. Furthermore, quantitative orientation analysis indicated that plasma treatment of polyimide surfaces altered the twist angle of the polyimide backbone at corresponding buried polyimide/epoxy interfaces. These SFG results indicate that plasma treatment of polymer surfaces can alter the molecular structure at corresponding polymer/air and buried polymer interfaces.     

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.     

含硫醚结构均苯型聚酰亚胺的合成及表征

以4,4′-二氨基二苯硫醚(SDA)和均苯四酸酐(PMDA)为原料,通过溶液缩聚法-热酰亚胺/化学酰亚胺化的方法制备了一种含硫醚结构均苯型聚酰亚胺.利用高级旋转流变仪建立了在线跟踪反应进程的方法,采用热失重分析仪研究反应条件对热酰亚胺化及化学酰亚胺化法的影响,这些方法的建立为进一步制备高性能的聚酰亚胺提供有效的实验手段.采用小角激光光散射法、红外光谱、元素分析、接触角仪、DSC等方法对聚合物的结构与性能进行表征.结果显示,硫醚结构的引入,可有效改善聚合物薄膜的表面性能,其与铜箔之间的粘附功明显大于传统聚酰亚胺,在无胶挠性线路板应用方面显示出较好的应用前景.所获聚合物的Mw为(6.7±1.6)×104,分解温度均高于560℃;DSC的结果显示所制备的两种酰亚胺化聚合物均具有较高的玻璃化转变温度,相比之下,化学酰亚胺化更有利于获得高酰亚胺化程度的聚合物,产物的玻璃化转变温度也更高.     

通过交联抑制高温下氢键的解离提高聚酰亚胺的耐热性和尺寸稳定性

将炔基结构引入该聚酰亚胺主链中,通过热引发化学交联反应构建化学限域位点,抑制高温下氢键的减弱和解离,进而通过交联和高温下更加稳定的氢键协同性提升了该PI薄膜在高温下的尺寸稳定性.结果表明,相对于线性PI,交联后PI在400℃的强氢键含量达到26.1%,与未交联PI相比提高了近50%,从而将300~400℃范围的的热膨胀系数(CTE)从33.8×10?6/K降低至5.1×10^?6/K.最终制备的PI膜的Tg高达452℃,40~400℃范围内的CTE仅为2.1×10^?6/K,拉伸强度高达231 MPa,有望用于AMOLED的基底材料.     

Interfacial interaction between ZnO thin film and polyimide substrate investigated by XPS and DFT calculation

The interfacial interaction between the ZnO film and the polyimide substrate was investigated by XPS and density functional theory (DFT) calculation, for the ZnO thin films deposited on polyimide (PI) substrates using cathodic vacuum arc deposition technique. The XPS results showed that a shoulder peak was present for the ZnO film with the thickness of about 15 nm, used for depth profiling, at the binding energy 1 eV higher than that of the Zn2p3 core level for bulk ZnO. Such a shoulder peak is attributed to the interaction between the ZnO and the polyimide. This agrees with the results of DFT calculation. Furthermore, the difference in adsorption energy between the polyimide monomer and the ZnO molecule at different adsorption sites showed that the carbonyl (C?O) plays an important role in the interfacial strength. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nature of disclination cores in liquid crystals

A disclination is an orientation symmetry-breaking defect and its strength corresponds to the number of rotations (in multiples of 2π) of the director over a path encircling the disclination. The line core plays a considerable role in the disclination energy balance and mobility, however, the detailed nature of the core structure is largely unknown. Here we demonstrate different core structures for different disclinations by using transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy coupled with the nanostripe decoration technique. We show that the molecular distribution in the core of (+1) defects changes from the prolate planar to oblate homeotropic, resembling but not identical to 'escape into the third dimension'. The homeotropic (-1) defect appears to possess an isotropic core, contrary to theoretical predictions.     

Fabrication of SU-8 multilayer microstructures based on successive CMOS compatible adhesive bonding and releasing steps

This paper describes a novel fabrication process based on successive wafer-level bonding and releasing steps for stacking several patterned layers of the negative photoresist EPON SU-8. This work uses a polyimide film to enhance previous low temperature bonding technology. The film acts as a temporary substrate where the SU-8 is photopatterned. The poor adhesion between the polyimide film and SU-8 allows the film to be released after the bonding process, even though the film is still strong enough to carry out photolithography. Using this technique, successive adhesive bonding steps can be carried out to obtain complex 3-D multilayer structures. Interconnected channels with smooth vertical sidewalls and freestanding structures are fabricated. Unlike previous works, all the layers are photopatterned before the bonding process yielding sealed cavities and complex three-dimensional structures without using a sacrificial layer. Adding new SU-8 layers reduces the bonding quality because each additional layer decreases the thickness uniformity and increases the polymer crosslinking level. The effect of these parameters is quantified in this paper. This process guarantees compatibility with CMOS electronics and MEMS. Furthermore, the releasing step leaves the input and the output of the microchannels in contact with the outside world, avoiding the usual slow drilling process of a cover. Hence, in addition to the straightforward integration of electrodes on a chip, this fabrication method facilitates the packaging of these microfluidic devices.     

耐超高温双酮酐型聚酰亚胺的合成及性能

以4,4'-对苯二甲酰二邻苯二甲酸酐(TDPA)为芳二酐单体,对苯二胺(PPD)为芳二胺单体,经低温溶液缩聚制得成膜性能优良的高相对分子质量聚酰胺酸(PAA),再经过热亚胺化制备双酮酐型聚酰亚胺(PI)薄膜。 采用傅里叶变换红外光谱仪(FT-IR)、广角X射线衍射(WAXD)、差示扫描量热仪(DSC)、动态热机械分析仪(DMA)、热重分析仪(TGA)、紫外-可见分光光度计(UV-Vis)及力学性能等技术手段表征了聚酰亚胺膜的结构和性能,考察了不同亚胺化温度对合成的双酮酐型聚酰亚胺膜性能的影响。 结果表明,经程序升温至320 ℃能使PAA热亚胺化基本趋于完成。 PI薄膜为部分有序聚集态结构,玻璃化转变温度(T_g)为298 ℃,具有优异的热性能,热失重温度(T_5%)为523 ℃。 拉伸强度达到130 MPa,弹性模量为5.77 GPa。 PI薄膜紫外光透过截止波长为375 nm,在可见光区具有良好的透光性能及耐溶剂性能。     

High thermal stable polyimide resins derived from phenylethynyl-endcapped fluorenyl oligoimides with low melt viscosities

To improve the processability and thermal stability of polyimide, a series of novel phenylethynyl-endcapped oligoimides(PEPA-oligoimides) with calculated molecular weights(M_nC) were successfully prepared from thermal imidization of 4,4'-(9-fluorenylidene) dianiline(BAFL) as fluorenyl diamine, 4,4′-oxy-diphthalic anhydride(ODPA) as aromatic dianhydride and 4-phenylethynylphthalic anhydride(4-PEPA) acted as reactive end-capping reagent at elevated temperatures. Experiment results indicated that the oligoimides were the mixtures of PEPA-endcapped oligomers with different degrees of polymerization characterized by MALDI-TOF mass spectra. The influence of chemical structures on the melt processabilities of the oligoimides, the thermal, dielectric and mechanical properties of the thermoset resins was studied. The typical oligoimide resin owned minimum melt viscosity of 0.2 Pa·s at around 310 °C and wide melting processing window, suitable for resin transfer molding(RTM). Besides, its corresponding thermal-cured polyimide resin possessed glass transition temperature(T_g) as high as 514 °C. The dielectric constants of polyimide resins decreased from 3.15 to 2.80 by reducing the M_nC. The mechanical properties of the polyimide neat resins were improved gradually with increasing MnC. Finally, the carbon fiber/polyimide(C_f/PI) composite laminates showed excellent mechanical strength retention rate at 350 °C, might be long-term served at extremely high temperature in aerospace and aviation field.     

(Co)polyimides from commonly used monomers, and their nanocomposites

Synthesis of (co)polyimides from aromatic dianhydrides (pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA), symmetric 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (sBPDA)) and diamines (4,4′-oxydianiline (ODA), p-phenylenediamine (PDA)) commonly used for the production of commercial polyimides, as well as the preparation of their nanocomposites with SiO₂ nanoparticles were performed with the aim to find ways to control technical performance of polyimides. The (co)polyimide films prepared under mild thermal imidization conditions were analyzed by FTIR, WAXD, DSC and TG, and characterized by transition temperatures and the temperatures of 5% and 10% mass loss, as well as tensile parameters.Films of PMDA/sBPDA–ODA copolyimides at the ambient temperature had a 20% higher ultimate strength and exhibited a higher tensile modulus than the reference polyimide (PMDA–ODA). However, lowering the transition temperature of the polyimide by partial substitution of an sBPDA monomeric unit for PMDA resulted in lowering the modulus at higher temperatures. The best performance was exhibited by semi-crystalline films of sBPDA–ODA/PDA copolyimide, which had a 35% higher ultimate strength and a 64% higher elongation at break at the ambient temperature than the reference polyimide (sBPDA–PDA), and also retained the strength and exhibited a 200% higher elongation at a temperature of 200 °C.Unexpectedly, the elongation at break of PMDA–ODA based (co)polyimide nanocomposites with hydrophobic SiO₂ nanoparticles was greater than that of the baseline (co)polyimides. It was neither the case with PMDA–ODA nanocomposites with hydrophilic SiO₂ nanoparticles, nor with sBPDA–PDA (co)polyimide based nanocomposites with hydrophobic SiO₂ nanoparticles.     

含苯并噻唑氟化聚酰亚胺制备及非线性光学性质

采用Mitsunobu反应将杂环偶氮生色分子键入氟化聚酰亚胺母体制备新型的侧链含氟聚酰亚胺非线性光学(NLO)材料.采用傅里叶变换红外(FT-IR)光谱、紫外-可见(UV-Vis)光谱、1H核磁共振(1HNMR)谱和凝胶色谱(GPC)对材料进行表征.热分析结果表明侧链型聚酰亚胺具有较高的玻璃化转变温度(Tg)(184-188℃),热分解温度(Td)高达322℃.采用简单全反射法于1550nm处测定聚酰亚胺的电光系数(γ33),含苯并噻唑偶氮苯胺的聚酰亚胺(PI1)具有较高的电光系数15pm·V-1.     

The relationship between the chemical structure of nematic liquid crystals and their pretilt angles

About 50 different additives in one or more of three different nematic mixtures have been investigated to clarify the relationship between the chemical structure of the liquid crystal and the pretilt angle on a polyimide surface. The pretilts found for cells have been explained within our recently proposed population distribution model. For compounds with cyano-groups at one end, we find that the in-plane order is governed both by the surface-mesogen interaction and by the relative strength of the intermolecular interactions in the nematic phase. This strength is nearly linear in alkyl chain length for the compounds investigated. Changes in the strength due to variations in the core of the molecules can be calculated easily by using group contributions from the known Parachors. The in-plane order can be treated as a simple product of the contributions from the liquid crystal and from the polyimide. Different polar end groups will give different angles between the surface and the optical axis of the individual mesogens in the first monolayer. The cyano-group gives the highest angle and alkyl groups the lowest. For nitro-compounds the dimers formed are so strongly bound that they do not break up at the surface. Nitro-compounds will thus act as dialkyl compounds. For dialkyl compounds the pretilt angles are dominated by the difference between the chain lengths at the two ends of the molecule.     

Structure and properties relationships for aromatic polyimides and their derived carbon membranes: experimental and simulation approaches

The main objective of this study is to investigate the factors of the chemical structure and physical properties of rigid polyimides in determining the performance of derived carbon membranes through both the experimental and simulation methods. Four polyimides made of different dianhydrides were pyrolyzed at 550 and 800 degrees C under vacuum conditions. The resultant carbon membranes exhibit excellent gas separation performances beyond the traditional upper limit line for polymer membranes. The thermal stability and the fractional free volume (FFV) of polyimides were examined by a thermogravimetric analyzer and a density meter. The chain properties of polyimide, such as flatness, chain linearity, and mobility, were simulated using the Cerius(2) software. All above characterizations of polyimides were related to the microstructure and gas transport properties of the resultant carbon membranes. It was observed that the high FFV values and low thermal stability of polyimide produce carbon membranes with bigger pore and higher gas permeability at low pyrolysis temperatures. Therefore, polyimides with big thermally labile side groups should be preferred to prepare carbon membranes at low pyrolysis temperatures for high permeability applications. On the other side, since the flatness and in-plane orientation of precursors may lead carbon membranes to ordered structure, thus obtaining high gas selectivity, linear polyimides with more coplanar aromatic rings should be first choice to prepare carbon membranes at high pyrolysis temperatures for high selectivity applications. The location of the indan group also affects chain flatness and in-plane orientation. As a result, carbon membranes derived from the BTDA-DAI precursor have superior separation performance to those derived from Matrimid.     

High-resolution direct patterning of gold nanoparticles by the microfluidic molding process

A novel microfluidic molding process was used to form microscale features of gold nanoparticles on polyimide, glass, and silicon substrates. This technique uses permeation pumping to pattern and concentrate a nanoparticle ink inside microfluidic channels created in a porous polymer template in contact with a substrate. The nanoparticle ink is self-concentrated in the microchannels, resulting in dense, close-packed nanoparticle features. The method allows for better control over the structure of printed features at a resolution that is comparable to inkjet printing, and is purely additive with no residual layers or etching required. The process uses low temperatures and pressures and takes place in an ambient environment. After patterning, the gold nanoparticles were sintered into continuous and conductive gold traces.     

Preparation of novel,high‐modulus,swollen‐ or jungle‐gym‐type polyimide gels end‐crosslinked with 1,3,5‐tris(4‐aminophenyl)benzene

A novel preparation approach for high‐performance polyimide gels that are swollen or have a jungle‐gym‐type structure is proposed. A new rigid and symmetric trifunctional amine, 1,3,5‐tris(4‐aminophenyl)benzene (TAPB), was synthesized as a crosslinker. Three different kinds of amic acid oligomers derived from pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA), 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA), p‐phenylenediamine (PDA), and 4,4′‐oxydianiline (ODA) were end‐crosslinked with TAPB at a high temperature to make polyimide networks with different structures. Transparent polyimide gels were obtained from the ODPA–ODA/TAPB series with high compression moduli of about 1 MPa at their equilibrium swollen states in N‐methylpyrrolidone. Microscopic phase separation occurred during the gelation–imidization process when polyimide networks were generated from PMDA–PDA/TAPB and PMDA–ODA/TAPB. After these opaque polyimide networks were dried, a jungle‐gym‐like structure was obtained for the PMDA–PDA/TAPB and PMDA–ODA/TAPB series; that is, there was a high void content inside the networks (up to 70%) and little volume shrinkage. These polyimide networks did not expand but absorbed the solvent and showed moduli as high as those of solids. Therefore, using the highly rigid crosslinker TAPB combined with the flexible monomers ODPA and ODA and the rigid monomers PMDA and PDA, we prepared swollen, high‐performance polyimide gels and jungle‐gym‐type polyimide networks, respectively. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2501–2512, 2002     

Fracture Behaviour and Deformation Mechanisms of Polyimide/Silica Hybrids

Films of particulate polyimide-silica hybrids were produced by a sol-gel process and were examined in terms of morphological structure and fracture properties at different temperatures, varying from 20 to 250 °C. The fracture toughness characteristics were studied by the “Essential Work of Fracture” method using double edge-notched specimens of different ligament lengths. The results showed that the fracture toughness, expressed through the essential (w_e) and non-essential work of fracture (βw_p) parameters increased when submicron silica particles were dispersed in the polyimide matrix. In particular, it was found that both w_e and βw_p increased with temperature to a larger extent than the parent polyimide. This enhancement in the fracture toughness was attributed to extensive cavitations and shear yielding originating at the particle interface and within the matrix.     

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.     

Structural evolution of melt-drawn transparent high-density polyethylene during heating and annealing: Synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering study

The morphological development of melt-drawn transparent high-density polyethylene during heating was investigated employing in-situ synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) technique. The results confirm that at lower temperatures only meridional scattering peaks aligned perpendicular to the extensional flow direction can be observed, indicating a highly oriented lamellar crystallite structure; whereas at higher temperatures an equatorial streak additional to the layer-like meridional scattering pattern develops, reflecting the presence of shish-kebab-like objects in the specimen under investigation. Upon heating, the average thickness of the kebab crystals remains essentially unaffected below 110 °C, and subsequently the selective melting of the less stable kebabs proceeds yielding thicker layered lamellar crystals. When the temperature is raised to 131 °C, the shish-like formation and the thermally stable kebab crystals melt simultaneously. In addition, the microstructure of the melt-drawn specimen subjected to annealing at elevated temperatures was probed at room temperature. As opposed to the SAXS patterns registered at high temperatures, the SAXS diagram measured after annealing shows no equatorial streak, suggesting that the cylindrical structures could be re-formed. This observation can be explained by assuming that the plate-like kebab crystals with their normal parallel to the stretching direction grow and impinge during cooling to room temperature due to secondary crystallization, which can be verified by in-situ SAXS experiments during annealing and subsequent cooling.