High solubility and optical transparency of novel polyimides containing 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethyl pendant groups and 4-tert-butyltoluene moiety

A series of novel polyimides (3a–d) were prepared from 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethyl-4,4′-diaminodiphenyl-4”-tert-butyltoluene (1) with four aromatic dianhydrides via a one-step high-temperature polycondensation procedure. The obtained polyimides showed excellent solubility, with the dissolvability at a concentration of 10 wt% in most amide polar solvents and chlorinated solvents. Their films were nearly colorless and exhibited high optical transparency, with the UV cutoff wavelength in the range of 322–350 nm and the wavelength of 80% transparency in the range of 395–414 nm. They also showed low dielectric constant (2.72–2.91 at 1 MHz) and low water absorptions (0.37–0.62%). Moreover, these polyimides possessed high glass transition temperatures (T_g) (above 321 °C) and good thermal stability with 10% weight loss temperatures in the range of 526–547 °C in nitrogen atmosphere. In comparison with the analogous polyimides non-containing 3,3′,5,5′ -tetramethyl pendant groups, the resultant polyimides 3a–d showed better solubility, higher optical transparency and lower dielectric constant.     

Organosoluble and thermally stable polyimides derived from a new diamine containing bulky-flexible triaryl pyridine pendent group

A novel kind of aromatic diamine,N-(4-(4-(2,6-diphenyl pyridine-4-yl)phenoxy)phenyl)-3,5-diaminobezamide (DPDAB),was synthesized via aromatic nucleophilic substitution of 3,5-dinitrobenzoylchloride with 4-(4-(2,6- diphenylpyridine-4-yl)phenoxy)aniline(DPPA),followed by palladium-catalyzed hydrazine reduction.This monomer was used to prepare polyimides(PIs)based on reaction with several commerically avaiable tetracarboxylic dianhydrides such as pyromellatic dianhydride(PMDA),benzophenone tetracarboxylic acide dianhydride(BTDA)and bicycle[2.2.2]oct-7-enc- 2,3,5,6-tetracarboxylic dianhydride(BCDA).These PIs had inherent viscosity in the range of 0.34-0.76 dL/g and showed good solubility in various aprotic polar solvents.The glass-transition tempratures(T_gs)of the PIs were in the range of 184-302℃,and showed high thermal stability with 10%weight loss in the temperature range of 360-500℃under nitrogen atmosphere.     

Synthesis and electrochromic properties of polyimides with pendent benzimidazole and triphenylamine units

Five novel near-infrared electrochromic aromatic polyimides(PIs) with pendent benzimidazole group were synthesized from 4,4'-diamino-4'-(1-benzylbenzimidazol-2-yl)triphenylamine(named as DBBT) with five different dianhydrides via two-step polymerization process, respectively. The maximum UV-Vis absorption bands of these PIs locate at about 335 nm for solid films due to the π-π* transitions. A reversible pair of distinct redox peaks, that were associated with a noticeable color change from original yellow to blue, was observed in the cyclic voltammetry(CV) test. A new absorption peak emerged at 847 nm in near-infrared(NIR) region with increasing voltage in UV-Vis-NIR spectrum, which indicates that PI can be used as NIR electrochromic material. These novel PIs have good electrochemical stability, appropriate energy levels for the highest occupied molecular orbital(HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital(LUMO), in the range of-5.17 e V to-5.20 e V and-2.14 e V to-2.26 e V(versus the vacuum level) determined by cyclic voltammetry method. These values basically consisted with the results of quantum chemical calculation. These polyimides can be used as novel electrochromic and hole transportation materials.     

Electroactive aromatic polyamides and polyimides with adamantylphenoxy-substituted triphenylamine units

A new triphenylamine-containing aromatic diamine monomer, 4-[4-(1-adamantyl)phenoxy]-4′,4″-diaminotriphenylamine, was synthesized from cesium fluoride-mediated N,N-diarylation of 4-(1-adamantyl)-4′-aminodiphenyl ether with 4-fluoronitrobenzene and subsequent reduction of the resultant dinitro compound. Novel electroactive aromatic polyamides and polyimides with adamantylphenoxy-substituted triphenylamine moieties were prepared from the newly synthesized diamine monomer with aromatic dicarboxylic acids and tetracarboxylic dianhydrides, respectively. All the resulting polymers were amorphous and most of them were readily soluble in polar solvents such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and could be solution-cast into transparent and strong films with good mechanical properties. These polymers exhibited glass-transition temperatures between 254 and 310 °C, and they were fairly stable up to a temperature above 450 °C for the polyamides and above 500 °C for the polyimides. These polymers exhibited strong UV-vis absorption maxima at 293-346 nm in solution, and the photoluminescence spectra of polyamides showed maximum bands around 408-452 nm in the blue region. Cyclic voltammograms of the polyamide and polyimide films on an indium-tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrate exhibited one pair of reversible redox couples at half-wave oxidation potentials (E_1/2) around 0.83-0.86 V and 1.12-1.13 V, respectively, versus Ag/AgCl in an acetonitrile solution. All the polymer films revealed good electrochemical and electrochromic stability by repeatedly switching electrode voltages between 0.0 V and 1.1-1.4 V, with coloration change from the pale yellowish neutral state to the green or blue oxidized state.     

Novel soluble thermally stable silane-containing aromatic polyimides with reduced dielectric constant

Bis(p-aminophenoxy)diphenylsilane (BPS), bis(m-aminophenoxy)diphenylsilane (BMS) and bis(5-amino-1-naphthoxy)diphenylsilane (BAS) as three silane-diamines were prepared by the reactions of 4-aminophenol, 3-aminophenol, and 5-amino-1-naphthol respectively, with dichlorodiphenylsilane in the presence of triethylamine. The related silane-containing polyimides were prepared by two-step polycondensation reactions of these diamines with three different aromatic dianhydrides. All the polymers were characterized and their physical and thermal properties were studied. The polymers showed high thermal stability while their solubility was greatly increased in polar aprotic solvents. Wide angle X-ray diffraction showed that all the polyimides were almost amorphous. Also their dielectric constants were decreased due to the incorporation of softening and low-polarizing siloxane units into the polymer backbone.     

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.     

Synthesis of soluble and thermally stable polyimides from unsymmetrical diamine containing 2,4,5-triaryl imidazole pendent group

A novel unsymmetrical diamine monomer containing triaryl imidazole pendant group, 4-[4-(4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)phenoxy] benzene-1,3-diamine (DAI), was successfully synthesized via aromatic substitution reaction of 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene with 4-(4,5-diphenyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)phenol, followed by palladium-catalyzed hydrazine reduction. The diamine monomer DAI polymerized with commercial available dianhydrides such as benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA), pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and bicyclo[2.2.2]-oct-7-ene-2,3,5,6-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BCDA) by using two step synthetic methods to obtain corresponding polyimides (PIs). PIs had inherent viscosity of 0.42-0.51 dL/g and exhibited excellent solubility in aprotic polar solvents such as N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), pyridine and methyl sulfoxide (DMSO). PIs showed high glass transition temperatures between 230 and 320 °C, and they were fairly stable up to a temperature above 300 and 450 °C depending on the dianhydride monomer used for the PIs preparation.     

Facile synthesis and properties of a new generation of soluble and thermally stable polyimides

A new diamine, 1,4-phenylene bis((E)-1-(4-chloro-3-aminobenzylidene) thiourea) (PCABT), containing phenylthiourea and azomethine groups was prepared from the reduction of dinitro compound, 1,4-phenylene bis((E)-1-(4-chloro-3-nitrobenzylidene)thiourea), PCNBT. The structures of resulting monomers were characterized by elemental analysis, FTIR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR techniques. Afterwards, this diamine was reacted with various aromatic dianhydrides (ODPA, BTDA and 6FDA) in glacial acetic acid to afford poly(phenylthiourea azomethine imide)s (PPTAIs) with η_inh of 1.59-1.66 dL/g, depending on the dianhydride used. The ensuing PPTAIs exhibited ample solubility in organic solvents (DMAc, DMF, DMSO and NMP) and were obtained in quantitative yields. Also, all polyimides were amorphous according to wide-angle X-ray determination. GPC measurements of polymers revealed M_w around 69,000-72,000. Moreover, thermogravimetric analyses indicated that PPTAIs were fairly stable up to 550 °C, and 10% weight loss temperatures were recorded in the range of 563-578 °C (N₂ atmosphere). Ultimately, these polyimides own high glass transition temperatures about 281-285 °C.     

The application of highly soluble amine-terminated aromatic polyimides with pendent tert-butyl groups as a tougher for epoxy resin

Polyimides(PIs) with various molecular weights synthesized via the reaction of aromatic diamine monomer containing tert-butyl groups with aromatic dianhydride were highly soluble in common organic solvents and some epoxy resins at room temperature. These PIs can be incorporated in the absence of organic solvent into epoxy resin E51 with the loading below 2 wt% forming EP-PI composites. No phase separation is observed by SEM on cryogenically fractured surfaces of EP-PI composites. The PI can improve mechanical properties, especially impact strength. Adding 2 wt% PI-1.5W, the impact strength reaches to 55 k J/m2 with the increase in tensile and flexural strengths by 14% and 3%, respectively. SEM analyses for the fracture surface suggest that PI reduces the crosslink density, improves the plasticity of epoxy resin and changes the mode of fracture from fragile to ductile. Moreover, the glass transition temperature of EP-PI composites was found to increase to a significant extent.     

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.     

Chemical modification of copolyimides with bulky pendent groups: Effect of modification on solubility and thermal stability

Two novel copolyimides bearing bulky pendent groups have been prepared by chemical modification of a copolyimide precursor containing carboxylic acid groups. The incorporation of the bulky groups was achieved by esterification of the copolyimide containing carboxylic acid groups with 4-tert-butylbenzyl alcohol. By controlling the carboxylic acid/alcohol ratio, two different degrees of modification were obtained. The actual composition of the modified polymer was estimated by ¹H NMR. They showed better solubility than the copolyimide precursor, where 100% modification yielded the copolyimide with the highest solubility properties. Thermal analyses indicated that the incorporation of bulky pendent groups has a moderate effect on decreasing the thermal degradation temperature and the glass transition temperature.     

Novel fluorinated polyimides derived from 9,9-bis(4-amino-3,5-difluorophenyl)fluorene and aromatic dianhydrides

Novel fluorinated polyimides (PIs) were prepared from 9,9-bis(4-amino-3,5-difluorophenyl)fluorene with three aromatic dianhydrides via a one-step high-temperature polycondensation procedure. These obtained PIs showed excellent solubility and could be readily soluble in a variety of organic solvents such as NMP, DMAc, DMF, CHCl₃, CH₂Cl₂ and THF. All the PIs could afford flexible and strong films with low dielectric constants (2.62-2.79 at 1 MHz) and low moisture absorptions (0.18-0.41%). Thin films of these PIs exhibited high optical transparency and light color, with the cutoff wavelength at 341-355 nm and transmittance higher than 80% at 450 nm. Meanwhile, these PIs possessed eminent thermal stability, with decomposition temperatures (T_d) above 570 °C in both air and nitrogen atmospheres and glass transition temperatures (T_g) beyond 376 °C. Moreover, these fluorinated PI films showed low surface free energy and hydro-oleophobic character. The contact angles on the films for water and glycerol were in the range of 102.3-107.9° and 94.0-100.3°, respectively. In comparison with the analogous PI non-containing fluorine group, these fluorinated PIs showed better solubility, higher optical transparency, lower dielectric constants and lower surface free energy.     

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.     

Design,synthesis, and gas permeation properties of polyimides containing pendent imidazolium groups

Film‐forming polymers containing ionic groups have attracted considerable attention as emerging materials for gas separation applications. The aim of this article was to synthesize new film‐forming polyimides containing imidazolium groups (PI‐IMs) and establish their structure–performance relationship. In this context, a new aromatic diamine, namely, N¹‐(4‐aminophenyl)‐N¹‐(4‐(2‐phenyl‐1H‐imidazol‐1‐yl)phenyl)benzene‐1,4‐diamine (ImTPADA), was synthesized and polycondensed with three aromatic dianhydrides, namely, 4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride, 4,4‐(4,4‐isopropylidenediphenoxy) bis(phthalic anhydride), and 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride to form the corresponding polyimides containing pendent 2‐phenylimidazole groups (PI‐IEs). Next, PI‐IMs were prepared by N‐quaternization of pendent 2‐phenylimidazole groups present in PI‐6FDA using methyl iodide followed by anion exchange with bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide lithium salt (LiTf₂N). PI‐IEs and PI‐IMs exhibited reasonably high molecular weights, amorphous nature, good solubility, and could be cast into self‐standing films from their DMAc solutions. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that 10% weight loss temperature of PI‐IEs and PI‐IMs were in the range 545–475 °C and 303–306 °C, respectively. Gas permeability analysis of films of PI‐IEs and PI‐IMs was investigated by variable‐volume method and it was observed that incorporation of ionic groups into PI‐6FDA resulted in increased permeability while maintaining selectivity. In particular, polymer bearing Tf₂N⁻ anion exhibited high CO₂ permeability (33.3 Barr) and high selectivity for CO₂/CH₄ (41.1) and CO₂/N₂ (35.4). © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 1721–1729     

Siloxanes with pendent naphthalene diimides: synthesis and fluorescence quenching

Cyclic siloxanes with pendent naphthalene diimide groups were synthesized via hydrosilylation to form amorphous electron-accepting compounds. Photophysical measurements and >99.9% fluorescence quenching of well-known p-type polymers by the siloxanes demonstrate that these siloxanes form a new class of highly efficient n-type materials that provide some control over intermolecular interactions.     

Investigation of polyimides containing naphthalene units. II. Model compounds synthesis

A series of model compounds from 4-benzoyl-1,8-naphthalene anhydride and aromatic amines and diamines has been synthesized. The influence of the reaction conditions on the structure of the compounds obtained has been investigated to explain the high-temperature polycondensation reaction mechanism. It was found that at high-temperature polycondensation of 1,8-naphthalene-type anhydrides with aromatic amines, isoimides with cis and and trans structures are formed instead of amic acids. The only trans isoimides may isomerize to imide structure. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

AC conductivity,structural, and dielectric properties of zinc supported on titanium dioxide: Facile synthesis and DFT calculation

We present a simple and systematic synthesis method of Zn doped TiO₂ (Zn/TiO₂) that is usually prepared with sophisticated preparation procedures. Zn/TiO₂ have been synthesized following a facile and efficient incipient wet impregnation method. The resulting Zn/TiO₂ has been characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, which revealed the successful formation of the anatase phase and traces of the rutile phase. The existence of the rutile phase in smaller proportion was a clear sign of the Zn doping induced anatase-to-rutile phase transition. Sensible enhancement in the dielectric constant due to Zn addition has also been observed from experiment and approximate first-principle calculation. Thus, our results have significant impact on TiO₂ based semiconductor technology.     

Synthesis and characterization of highly soluble aromatic polyimides

Two highly soluble aromatic polyimides were synthesized successfully from a diamine with two tert-butyl groups （MBTBA）and dianhydrides with a thioether or sulfone moiety（DTDA and DSDA）.Both of them showed excellent solubility in common solvents such as chloroform,tetrahydrofuran and dioxane at the room temperature.The number-average molecular weight was 6.0×10⁴ and 8.3×10⁴ according to gel permeation chromatography relative to a polystyrene standard,and the polydispersity index was 1.80 and 1.82 respectively.The glass-transition temperatures of them were 286℃and 314℃（or 315℃and 358℃）respectively,as measured by differential scanning calorimetry（or dynamic mechanical analysis）.The 5%weight loss temperature of both was near 490℃in N₂ by thermogravimetric analysis.These results indicated that the tert-butyl pendent groups reduced the interactions among polymer chains and the thioether or sulfone moiety was flexible which may improve their solubility in conventional organic solvents without the loss of thermal stability. Transparent and flexible films of the two polyimides were obtained via solution casting.The MBTBA-DTDA membrane had higher storage moduli than those of the MBTBA-DSDA membrane.     

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 mechanical properties of novel photosensitive polyimides

This paper surveys novel photoimageable polyimides (PHIMPI), with emphasis on synthesis. Details of the chemistry and synthesis techniques on PHIMPI are discussed. A number of associated issues such as swelling, storage stability, shrinkage, photospeed, solvent developability, moisture absorption, thermal expansion and mechanical properties are presented. Most of the photoimageable polyimides that are commercially suitable to date are negative-acting, although recent developments in positive-acting PHIMPI are included.