Structural characterization of silica modified polyimide membranes

Polyimide and hybrid polyimide‐siloxane were synthesized by polycondensation, imidization, and sol‐gel reaction. The polyimides were prepared from pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and 4,4‐oxydianiline (ODA) in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrollidone (NMP). Trimethoxyvinyl silane (TMVS) was used as a source of silica. Their surface morphologies, structures and thermal performances were determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy (IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results showed that the silica particles were finely and rather homogeneously dispersed in polymers. The glass transition temperature (T_g) of hybrid membrane materials increased with the increasing silica content. TGA analysis showed that polyimides were thermally stable with silica. Modified polyimide‐siloxane films, thermal characteristics were found to be better than the polyimide films without silica. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Highly organosoluble and flexible polyimides with color lightness and transparency based on 2,2‐bis[4‐(2‐trifluoromethyl‐4‐aminophenoxy)‐3,5‐dimethylphenyl]propane

A new diamine containing isopropylidene, methyl substituted arylene ether, and trifluoromethyl groups, 2,2‐bis[4‐(2‐trifluoromethyl‐4‐aminophenoxy)‐3,5‐dimethylphenyl]propane (BTADP), was synthesized and used in preparation of a series of polyimides by direct polycondensation with various aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides in N, N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc). All polymers derived from diamine (BTADP) with trifluoromethyl substituents were highly organosoluble in the solvents, like N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone (NMP), N,N‐dimethylacetamide, N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF), pyridine, chloroform, tetrahydrofuran (THF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), dichloromethane, cyclohexanone, and γ‐butyrolactone at room temperature or upon heating at 70 °C. Inherent viscosities of the polyimides were found to range between 0.58 and 0.97 dL·g^?1. These polyimides had glass transition temperatures between 256 and 307 °C, and their 10% mass loss temperatures ranged from 440 to 462 °C and 421 to 443 °C under nitrogen and air, respectively. These polyimides had low dielectric constants in the range of 2.84–3.09. All the polyimides could be cast into films from DMAc solutions and were thermally converted into color lightness, optically transparent, flexible, and tough polyimides. The polyimide films had a tensile strength in the range of 83–97 MPa and a tensile modulus in the range of 2.0–2.2 GPa. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 5766–5774, 2004     

Organosoluble polyimides and copolyimides based on 1,1‐bis[4‐(4‐aminophenoxy)phenyl]‐1‐phenylethane and aromatic dianhydrides

1,1‐Bis[4‐(4‐aminophenoxy)phenyl]‐1‐phenylethane (BAPPE) was prepared through nucleophilic substitution reaction of 1,1‐bis(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐1‐phenylethane and p‐chloronitrobenzene in the presence of K₂CO₃ in N,N‐dimethylformamide, followed by catalytic reduction with hydrazine and Pd/C. Novel organosoluble polyimides and copolyimides were synthesized from BAPPE and six kinds of commercial dianhydrides, including pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA, I_a ), 3,3′,4,4′‐benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA, I_b ), 3,3′,4,4′‐ biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA, I_c ), 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA, I_d ), 3,3′,4,4′‐diphenylsulfonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (DSDA, I_e ) and 4,4′‐hexafluoroisopropylidenediphthalic anhydride (6FDA, I_f ). Differing with the conventional polyimide process by thermal cyclodehydration of poly(amic acid), when polyimides were prepared by chemical cyclodehydration with N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone as used solvent, resulted polymers showed good solubility. Additional, I_a,b were mixed respectively with the rest of dianhydrides (I_c–f) and BAPPE at certain molar ratios to prepare copolyimides with arbitrary solubilities. These polyimides and copolyimides were characterized by good mechanical properties together with good thermal stability. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2082–2090, 2000     

Synthesis and Characterization of Organosoluble Polyimides Containing Pyridyl Moiety with Ether Linkages

Two novel diamine monomers, bis(4‐amino‐3,5‐dimethylphenyl)‐3‐pyridyl methane and bis(4‐aminophenoxy‐3,5‐dimethylphenyl)‐3‐pyridyl methane were synthesized. A series of pyridine containing aromatic polyimides derived from the diamines were synthesized through a typical two‐step polymerization method. Most of the polymers show good solubility in NMP, DMAc, DMF, DMSO and CHCl₃ at room temperature. These polyimides exhibit T_g in the range of 249–317°C and 10% wt loss (T₁₀) takes place in the range of 474–564°C in N₂ and 469–558°C in air. The polymers have tensile strength in the range of 88–96 MPa, elongation at break in the range of 8.5–12.5% and tensile modulus in the range of 1.5–2.1 GPa. These polyimides also have low dielectric constant (3.26–3.64 at 1 KHz and 3.24–3.61 at 10 KHz) and low moisture absorption (0.42–0.89%).     

Synthesis and positive‐imaging photosensitivity of soluble polyimides having pendant carboxyl groups

Polyimides having pendant carboxyl groups were prepared by a direct one‐pot polycondensation of 4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride (6FDA) with 3,5‐diaminobenzoic acid (DABz) and bis[4‐(3‐aminophenoxy)phenyl]sulfone (m‐BAPS) in the presence of a γ‐valerolactone/pyridine catalyst system using N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NMP)/toluene mixture as a solvent at 180 °C. The obtained polyimides were soluble in dipolar aprotic solvents such as dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, and NMP as well as in tetrahydrofuran and aqueous basic solution. The solubility of the polyimides was dependent on the diamine composition. Photosensitve polyimide (PSPI) systems composed of the polyimides and diazonaphthoquinone compound as a photosensitive material gave positive‐tone behavior by UV irradiation, followed by development with aqueous tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution. The scanning electron microscopic photograph of the resulting image showed 10‐μm line/space resolution with about 15 μm of film thickness. The PSPIs baked at 350 °C for a short time had excellent thermal resistance comparable to the original polyimides. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 934–946, 2001     

Molecular weight characterization of soluble high performance polyimides. 1. Polymer-solvent-stationary phase interactions in size exclusion chromatography

Soluble, fully cyclized m-amino phenyl acetylene terminated polyimides based on several anhydride/diamine monomers were prepared in N-methylpyrrolidine (NMP) and cyclized by solution imidization to controlled molecular weight. The polyimides and a polyamic acid precursor were successfully analyzed by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) utilizing online parallel coupled refractive index and differential viscometer detectors. The calculated M _nvalues were varied from 3,000 to 20,000 daltons. N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), tetrahydrofuran (THF), and chloroform served as mobile phases for the cross-linked polystyrene gel packings. Normal retention behavior of the polyimides was observed in chloroform, THF, and NMP containing LiBr, or in NMP stirred over P₂O₅ before use. Values of Mark-Houwink-Sakurada exponents for narrow distribution linear polystyrene indicate that pure NMP and NMP with 0.06 M LiBr are good solvents for polystyrene standards at 60°C. In contrast, SEC behavior of polyimides in pure NMP leads to splitting of the peaks with the major portion observed to pass through the columns at the exclusion limit. In contrast to strong polymeric chain expansion of the polyamic acid in dilute solution, presumably due to a polyelectrolyte effect, no increase of intrinsic viscosity of polyimide samples in pure NMP was observed. This exclusion effect of polyimides analyzed in NMP is discussed in terms of possible ion-exclusion from pores of the stationary phase. Differences in polystyrene calibration in NMP with or without additives and the temperature dependence of calibration curves in these mobile phases is discussed as well. ©1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis and properties of thermally stable polyimides bearing pendent fluorene moieties

A new diamine monomer containing fluorene unit, 3,5‐diamino‐N‐(9H‐fluoren‐2‐yl)benzamide was successfully synthesized via the condensation of 2‐aminofluorene and 3,5‐dinitrobenzoyl chloride and subsequent reduction of the dinitro compound. A series of novel aromatic polyimides having pendent fluorenamide moieties were prepared from the reaction of the diamine monomer and various tetracarboxylic dianhydrides by a conventional two‐step polymerization process. The polyimides were obtained in quantitative yields with inherent viscosities of 0.33–0.44 dl/g. The resulting polymers dissolved in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone, N,N‐dimethylacetamide, N,N‐dimethylformamide, and dimethyl sulfoxide. The glass transition temperature of these polymers was in the range of 261–289°C. They were fairly stable up to a temperature around 450°C and lost 10% weight in the range of 498–556°C in nitrogen. The UV–vis absorption spectra showed that all of the polymers had absorption maxima around 320 nm. Cyclic voltammograms of the polyimides revealed an oxidation wave with a peak around 1.3 V. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Syntheses and properties of aromatic polyamides and polyimides based on N-phenyl-3,3-bis[4-(p-aminophenoxy) phenyl] phthalimidine

N-Phenyl-3,3-Bis[4-(p-aminophenoxy)phenyl] phthalimidine ( II ) was used as a monomer with various aromatic dicarboxylic acids and tetracarboxylic dianhydrides to synthesize polyamides and polyimides, respectively. The diamine II was derived by a nucleophilic substitution of N-phenyl-3,3-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) phthalimidine with p-chloronitrobenzene in the presence of K₂CO₃ and then hydro-reduced. Polyamides IV _a-g having inherent viscosities of 0.55–1.64 dL/g were prepared by the direct polycondensation of the diamine II with various aromatic diacids using triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents. All the aromatic polyamides were amorphous and readily soluble in various polar solvents such as N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), N,N-dimethylformamide, dimethylsulfoxide, and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). Transparent and flexible films of these polymers could be cast from the DMAc solutions. These aromatic polyamides had glass transition temperatures in the range of 293–319°C and 10% weight loss occurred up to 480°C. The polyimides were synthesized from diamine II and various aromatic dianhydrides via the two-stage procedure that included ring-opening polyaddition in DMAc to give poly(amic acid)s, followed by thermal or chemical conversion to polyimides. Most of the aromatic polyimides obtained by chemical cyclization were found to be soluble in NMP, m-cresol, and o-chlorophenol. These polyimides showed almost no weight loss up to 500°C in air or nitrogen atmosphere. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis of soluble and thermally stable polyimide from new diamine bearing N-[4-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)phenyl] formamide pendent group

A new aromatic diamine monomer, N-(4-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)phenyl)-3,5-diaminobenzamide, was successfully prepared in four steps using carbazole as starting material and polymerized with three aromatic tetracaboxylic acid dianhydrides via the conventional two-stage synthesis including the polyaddition and chemical cyclodehydration to produce a series of the aromatic polyimides. The polyimides were characterized by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) and thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) analysis. The polyimides with inherent viscosities in the range of 0.38–0.46 dL/g showed excellent solubility in various solvents such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP), N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), pyridine and dioxane. DSC showed the glass transition temperatures (T_g) in the range of 277–288 °C. TGA showed that all polymers were stable, with 10% weights loss recorded above 524 °C in air atmosphere. Preliminary tests on films of the polyimides indicate that the materials are brittle.     

Improvement of CO2/CH4 separation characteristics of polyimides by chemical crosslinking

Uncrosslinked and crosslinked polyimides and copolyimides have been synthesized in order to increase selectivity without an unacceptable loss in permeability. The goal was to reduce undesirable effects caused by CO₂ induced swelling in CO₂/CH₄ separation processes by stabilizing the polyimide structure with crosslinks. In the polymerization reaction 6FDA (4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride) was used as dianhydride monomer and mPD (m-phenylene diamine) and DABA (diamino benzoic acid) were used as diamine monomers. With copolyimides containing strong polar carboxylic acid groups (i.e. 6 FDA–mPD/DABA 9:1) reduced plasticization was seen up to a pure CO₂ feed pressure of 14 atm, presumably due to hydrogen bonding between the carboxylic acid groups. By chemical crosslinking of the free carboxylic acid groups of the 6FDA–mPD/DABA 9:1 with ethylene glycol, the swelling effects due to CO₂ can be reduced at least up to a pure CO₂ feed pressure of 35 atm. With increasing degree of crosslinking, increasing CO₂/CH₄ selectivity was found because of reduced swelling and polymer chain mobility. By using ethylene glycol as a crosslinking agent, CO₂ permeability was not significantly lowered because the reduced chain mobility was compensated by the additional free volume caused by the crosslinks.     

Synthesis and blend behavior of high performance homo- and segmented thermoplastic polyimides

New synthetic methodology was developed as part of an effort to increase the processibility of high Tg polyimide homo⁻ and copolymers, suitable as matrix resins and structural adhesives. Molecular weight and end group control together with solution imidization techniques were successfully employed to convert a variety of poly(amic acid) intermediates to fully cyclized polyimides. The solution imidization was conducted in N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) with o-dichlorobenzene used as the azeotroping agent at 165–190°C. This technique has produced products which are more soluble than polyimides prepared previously by bulk thermal cyclization of poly(amic acids) at temperature of 300°C. They are also more stable than “chemically” imidized materials. In addition, incorporation of the monofunctional reagent phthalic anhydride provides nonreactive phthalimide end groups and controlled molecular weight. This latter feature significantly further improved the melt and solution processibility of the resulting polyimides. In this study thermoplastic, fully cyclized polyimides of 10 000, 20 000, and 30 000 M̄n were prepared which displayed glass transition temperatures ranging from 260–353°C, with the highest T_g observed with phthalimide capped polyimide systems derived from 6F-dianhydride and p-phenylene diamine. Tough, transparent films were prepared from polymers of 20 000 and 30 000 g/mol by casting from NMP solution or by compression molding at 50–70°C above the glass transition temperature. For purposes of molecular weight assessment, t-butyl phthalic anhydride was used as the end blocker. This permitted 400 M-Hertz proton NMR to be used for assessing the concentration of end groups. Comparison of the 18 aliphatic protons at the end of the chain allowed M̄n values to be determined, which agreed well with theory. A series of poly(arylene ether ketone)/aromatic polyimide blends were investigated to determine the influence of structural variation and composition on miscibility. As an extension to the PEEK^TM/Ultem^TM blend system, which has been reported to be miscible over all proportions, this study examined how structural variations in both the poly(arylene ether ether ketone) and the polyimide portions affect miscibility. In particular, replacement of the hydroquinone fraction in PEEK^TM with bisphenol A or sulfonyl diphenol produced an amorphous polymer which was no longer miscible with Ultem^TM. Polyimide structures modified by employing 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) and 4,4′-[1,4-phenylene-bis-(1-methyl ethylidene)] bisaniline (Bis P) diamine to obtain higher glass transition temperatures were also investigated. This system afforded homogeneous blends with PEEK^TM when the (Bis P) diamine was utilized in the synthesis of the polyimide. Furthermore, up to 50 mole percent of hexafluoro-bis-dianhydride (6FDA) could be substituted for BTDA without loss of miscibility. However, when the more polar 3,3′-diaminodiphenylsulfone diamine was employed, immiscible blends resulted. An additional important variant has been to incorporate polyimide siloxane segmented copolymers into the PEEK^TM blend system. The polyimide segment can be designed to be miscible whereas the siloxane portion is homogeneously dispersed into a second phase which, in fact, enriches the surface behavior quite dramatically in siloxane content. The latter could be of some importance in allowing for atomic oxygen resistance and possibly improved flame resistance behavior.     

Preparation and characterization of polyimides containing triaryl imidazole side groups

A novel triaryl imidazole‐containing diamine, 3,5‐diamino‐N‐(4‐(4,5‐diphenyl‐1H‐imidazol)phenyl)benzamide, was successfully synthesized via the condensation of 4‐(4,5‐diphenyl‐1H‐imidazol)benzenamine and 3,5‐dinitrobenzoyl chloride, followed by reduction of the dinitro compound. A series of new aromatic polyimides with pendent triaryl imidazole moieties were prepared from the reaction of this diamine with various tetracarboxylic dianhydrides by a conventional two‐step polymerization process via thermal and chemical imidizations. The polyimides were obtained in quantitative yields with inherent viscosities of 0.21–0.44 dL/g. All the polymers are readily soluble in polar organic solvents. Flexible and strong films of polyimides were obtained by solution casting. The glass transition temperature of these polymers was in the range of 261–264°C. They were fairly stable up to a temperature around 300°C and lost 10% weight at 408°C under nitrogen. The ultraviolet–visible absorption spectra showed that all of the polymers had absorption maxima around 320 nm with a fluorescence emission maxima around 388–407 nm in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone solution. Cyclic voltammograms of the polyimides revealed an oxidation wave with a peak around 1.7 V. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of substituent groups of polyimides on sorption and diffusion of gases

Sorption rate curves of CO₂, N₂, and He gases below 1 atm were measured for polyimide films prepared from benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) with 3,5-diaminotoluene trifluoride (DATF), 2,4-diaminotoluene (DAT), m-phenylenediamine (MPD), and diaminobenzoic acid (DABA). The molecular structures of these four polyimides differ only in the substituent groups of the diamine structure. These polyimides exhibit dualmode type sorption isotherms for carbon dioxide that are concave to the pressure axis, typical of glassy polymer/gas system. The apparent diffusion coefficients below 1 atm pressure of carbon dioxide for this series of compounds decrease in the order: BTDA-DATF > BTDA-DAT > BTDA-MPD > BTDA-DABA. A linear relation between the logarithm of the apparent diffusion coefficient and the reciprocal of free volume, calculated by the method of Bondi using density data, is found for these polyimides. However, this tendency is not observed for the other two gases. The activation energies of the apparent diffusion coefficients at 20 cmHg pressure of carbon dioxide increase with increasing cohesive energy density of the polyimides. The energy per mole of free volume elements in a liquidlike structure in each cohesive energy density may be equated to the activation energy and used to calculate the free volume. The values from the activation energy are almost the same as those from Bondi's method.     

Synthesis and characterization of new cardo polyimides prepared from 5,5-Bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]-4,7-methanohexahydroindane

A new cardo diamine monomer, 5,5-bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]-4,7-methanohexahydroindane (II), was prepared in two steps with high yield. The monomer was reacted with six different aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) to obtain the corresponding cardo polyimides via the poly(amic acid) precursors and thermal or chemical imidization. All the poly(amic acid)s could be cast from their DMAc solutions and thermally converted into transparent, flexible, and tough polyimide films which were further characterized by x-ray and mechanical analysis. All of the polymers were amorphous and the polyimide films had a tensile strength range of 89–123 MPa, an elongation at break range of 6–10%, and a tensile modulus range of 1.9–2.5 GPa. Polymers V_c, V_e, and V_f exhibited good solubility in a variety of solvents such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP), DMAc, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), pyridine, γ-butyrolactone, and even in tetrahydrofuran and chloroform. These polyimides showed glass-transition temperatures between 274 and 299°C and decomposition temperatures at 10% mass loss temperatures ranging from 490 to 521°C and 499 to 532°C in nitrogen and air atmospheres, respectively. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2815–2821, 1999     

Aggregation behavior of organic‐soluble semi‐aromatic polyimides in N‐methylpyrrolidone systems

Aggregation behavior of the organic‐soluble semi‐aromatic polyimides, whose degrees of imidization range from 69 to 96%, obtained using 4,4′‐oxydianiline, 4,4′‐diamino‐3,3′dihydroxybiphenyl, and bicyclo[2.2.2]‐oct‐7‐ene‐2,3,5,6‐tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BCDA) in N‐methylpyrrolidone (NMP), NMP/cyclohexanone, and NMP/γ‐butyrolactone (BCDA‐based polyimides) were studied by static light scattering (SLS) and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The DLS analyses for the multirelaxation modes demonstrated the specific character unlike flexible polymers that the single BCDA‐based polyimide chains first associate with each other to form small clusters in the dilute region, and then expand to large aggregates by the entanglements between the small clusters with an increasing concentration into the semi‐dilute region. Given the semi‐aromatic structure of BCDA‐based polyimides weakening the charge transfer (CT) interaction between the diamine and the dianhydride unit, it is concluded that the unique aggregation behavior of BCDA‐based polyimides is dominated by the balance between the driving force for the “organic solubility” given by both the increase in bulkiness and the decrease in the CT interaction, and that for the “organic insolubility” derived from both the hydrogen‐bonded interaction of the phenolic hydroxyl groups and the π–π interaction of the phenyl rings. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys, 2012     

Novel Non‐Coplanar and Tertbutyl‐Substituted Polyimides: Solubility,Optical, Thermal and Dielectric Properties

A novel aromatic diamine monomer bearing tertbutyl and 4‐tertbutylphenyl groups, 3,3′‐ditertbutyl‐4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl‐4′′‐tertbutylphenylmethane (TADBP), was prepared and characterized. A series of non‐coplanar polyimides (PIs) were synthesized via a conventional one‐step polycondensation from TADBP and various aromatic dianhydrides including pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA), 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA), 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride (OPDA), 3,3′,4,4′‐benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) and 4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)dipthalic anhydride (6FDA). All PIs exhibit excellent solubility in common organic solvents such as N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF), N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc), N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NMP), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), chloroform (CHCl₃), tetrahydrofuran (THF), and so on. Furthermore, the obtained transparent, strong and flexible polyimide films present good thermal stability and outstanding optical properties. Their glass transition temperatures (T_gs) are in the range of 298 to 347°C, and 10% weight loss temperatures are in excess of 490°C with more than 53% char yield at 800°C in nitrogen. All the polyimides can be cast into transparent and flexible films with tensile strength of 80.5–101 MPa, elongation at break of 8.4%–10.5%, and Young's modulus of 2.3–2.8 GPa. Meanwhile, the PIs show the cutoff wavelengths of 302–356 nm, as well as low moisture absorption (0.30% –0.55%) and low dielectric constant (2.78–3.12 at 1 MHz).     

Synthesis and properties of polyimides,polyamides and poly(amide-imide)s from ether diamine having the spirobichroman structure

A novel spirobichroman unit containing dietheramine, 6,6′-bis(4-aminophenoxy)-4,4,4′,4′,7,7′-hexamethyl-2,2′-spirobichroman ( 3 ), was prepared by the nucleophilic substitution of 6,6′-dihydroxy-4,4,4′,4′,7,7′-hexamethyl-2,2′-spirobichroman with p-chloronitrobenzene in the presence of K₂CO₃ followed by hydrazine catalytic reduction of the intermediate dinitro compound. A series of polyimides were synthesized from diamine 3 and various aromatic dianhydrides by a conventional two-stage procedure through the formation of poly(amic-acid)s followed by thermal imidization. The intermediate poly(amic-acid)s had inherent viscosities of 1.00–2.78 dL/g. All the poly-(amic-acid)s could be thermally cyclodehydrated into flexible and tough polyimide films, and some polyimides were soluble in polar solvents such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). These polyimides had glass transition temperatures (T_g) in the range of 236–256°C, and 10% weight loss occurred up to 450°C. Furthermore, a series of polyamides and poly(amide-imide)s with inherent viscosities of 0.71–2.29 dL/g were prepared by direct polycondensation of the diamine 3 with various aromatic dicarboxylic acids and imide ring-containing dicarboxylic acids by means of triphenyl phosphite and pyridine. All the polyamides and poly(amide-imide)s were readily soluble in polar solvents such as DMAc, and tough and flexible films could be cast from their DMAc solutions. These polymers had glass transition temperatures in the range of 137–228°C and 10% weight loss temperatures in the range of 419–443°C in air and 404–436°C in nitrogen, respectively. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 1487–1497, 1997     

Preparation and properties of aromatic polyamides and polyimides derived from 3,3-bis [4-(4-aminophenoxy) phenyl] phthalide

3,3-Bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]phthalide ( II ) was used as a monomer with various aromatic dicarboxylic acids and dianhydrides to synthesize polyamides and polyimides, respectively. The diamine II was derived by a nucleophilic substitution of phenolphthalein with p-chloronitrobenzene in the presence of K₂CO₃. Polyamides IV _a-g having inherent viscosities of 0.77–2.46 dL/g were prepared by the direct polycondensation of diamine II with diacids III _a-g using triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents. The polyamides were readily soluble in a variety of solvents such as N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF), N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) and afforded transparent and flexible films from the polymer solutions. These polymers had glass transition temperatures (T_gs) in the 227–307°C range and 10% weight loss temperatures occurred up to 450°C. Polyimides VI _a-e based on diamine II and various aromatic dianhydrides V _a-e were synthesized by the two-stage procedure that included ring-opening, followed by thermal or chemical conversion to polyimides. Most of the polyimides obtained by chemical cyclodehydration procedure were found to soluble in DMF, NMP, o-chlorophenol, and m-cresol. The T_gs of these polyimides were in the 260–328°C range and showed almost no weight loss up to 500°C under air and nitrogen atmosphere. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Syntheses and properties of organosoluble polyimides based on 5,5′‐bis[4‐(4‐aminophenoxy)phenyl]‐4, 7‐methanohexahydroindan

A series of organosoluble aromatic polyimides (PIs) was synthesized from 5,5′‐bis[4‐(4‐aminophenoxy)phenyl]‐4,7‐methanohexahydroindan (3) and commercial available aromatic dianhydrides such as 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA), 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA), 4,4′‐sulfonyl diphthalic anhydride (SDPA), or 2,2′‐bis(3,4‐dicarboxyphenyl) hexafluoropropanic dianhydride (6FDA). PIs (III_c–f), which were synthesized by direct polymerization in m‐cresol, had inherent viscosities of 0.83–1.05 dL/g. These polymers could easily be dissolved in N,N′‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc), N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NMP), N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF), pyridine, m‐cresol, and dichloromethane. Whereas copolymerization was proceeded with equivalent molar ratios of pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA)/6FDA, 3,3′,4,4′‐benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA)/6FDA, or BTDA/SDPA, or ½ for PMDA/SDPA, copolyimides (co‐PIs), derived from 3 and mixed dianhydrides, were soluble in NMP. All the soluble PIs could form transparent, flexible, and tough films, and they showed amorphous characteristics. These films had tensile strengths of 88–111 MPa, elongations at break of 5–10% and initial moduli of 2.01–2.67 GPa. The glass transition temperatures of these polymers were in the range of 252–311°C. Except for III_e, the 10% weight loss temperatures (T_d) of PIs were above 500°C, and the amount of carbonized residues of the PIs at 800°C in nitrogen atmosphere were above 50%. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 1681–1691, 1999     

Synthesis, characterization, and gas permeation properties of 6FDA-2,6-DAT/mPDA copolyimides

The goal of this work is to explore new polyimide materials that exhibit both high permeability and high selectivity for specific gases. Copolyimides offer the possibility of preparing membranes with gas permeabilities and selectivities not obtainable with homopolyimides. A series of novel fluorinated copolyimides were synthesized with various diamine compositions by chemical imidization in a two-pot procedure. Polyamic acids were prepared by stoichiometric addition of solid dianhydride in portions to the diamine(s). The gas permeation behavior of 2,2′-bis(3,4′-dicarboxyphenyl) hexafluoropropane dianhydride(6FDA)-2,6-diamine toluene (2,6-DAT)/1,3-phenylenediamine (mPDA) polyimides was investigated. The physical properties of the copolyimides were characterized by IR, DSC and TGA. The glass transition temperature increased with increase in 2,6-DAT content. All the copolyimides were soluble in most of the common solvents. The gas permeability coefficients decreased with increasing mPDA content. However, the permselectivity of gas pairs such as H₂/N₂, O₂/N₂, and CO₂/CH₄ was enhanced with the incorporation of mPDA moiety. The permeability coefficients of H₂, O₂, N₂, CO₂ and CH₄ were found to decrease with the increasing order of kinetic diameters of the penetrant gases. 6FDA-2,6-DAT/mPDA (3:1) copolyimide and 6FDA-2,6-DAT polyimide had high separation properties for H₂/N₂, O₂/N₂, CO₂/CH₄. Their H₂, O₂ and CO₂ permeability coefficients were 64.99 Barrer, 5.22 Barrer, 23.87 Barrer and 81.96 Barrer, 8.83 Barrer, 39.59 Barrer, respectively, at 35°C and 0.2 MPa (1 Barrer = 10⁻¹⁰ cm³ (STP)·cm·cm⁻²·s⁻¹·cmHg⁻¹) and their ideal permselectivities of H₂/N₂, O₂/N₂ and CO₂/CH₄ were 69.61, 6.09, 63.92 and 53.45, 5.76, 57.41, respectively. Moreover, all of the copolyimides studied in this work exhibited similar performance, lying on or above the existing upper bound trade-off lines between permselectivity and permeability. They may be utilized for commercial gas separation membrane materials. __________ Translated from Acta Polymerica Sinica, 2008, 8 (in Chinese)