含磷聚酰亚胺纤维的制备与性能

合成了一种含磷二胺单体, 二(4-胺基苯氧基)苯基膦氧(DAPOPO). 该单体与4,4'-二胺基二苯醚(ODA)、 均苯四酸二酐(PMDA)和3,3',4,4'-联苯四酸二酐(BPDA)共聚得到聚酰胺酸溶液, 通过干喷湿纺法纺丝得到聚酰胺酸纤维, 聚酰胺酸纤维经过热亚胺化和热牵伸得到含磷的聚酰亚胺纤维. 利用纤维强度仪、 扫描电子显微镜、 热失重分析仪和氧指数测定仪等研究了含磷聚酰亚胺纤维的力学性能、 形貌、 热稳定性能和阻燃性能. 结果表明, 随着含磷量的增加, 纤维的热稳定性明显提高, 而极限氧指数从35上升到了45, 说明纤维的阻燃性能得到很大提高.     

热亚胺化过程中气氛和拉力对BPDA-PDA聚酰亚胺纤维结构与性能的影响

研究了3,3',4,4'-联苯四酸二酐-对苯二胺(BPDA-PDA)型聚酰胺酸(PAA)纤维热亚胺化过程中气氛和拉力对聚酰亚胺(PI)纤维结构和性能的影响. 热处理过程中, 恒温处理5 min时, 虽然不同气氛下纤维的表面形貌并无明显差异, 但N₂气下所得纤维的力学性能明显优于空气下的样品, N₂气保护作用下, 最高断裂强度和初始模量分别达到1.25和65.0 GPa. 恒温处理40 min时, N₂气对纤维表面形貌有明显的保护作用. 但对于力学性能, 气氛的影响仅在450 ℃时表现得非常明显. 低于450 ℃时, 长时间的热处理成为影响纤维力学性能的主要因素, 气氛的影响变得不明显. 高于450 ℃时, 在N₂气和空气中的纤维皆发生明显的降解, 从而严重影响其力学性能. 热亚胺化过程中施加的拉力会促进纤维热酰亚胺化过程中的膨胀. 随着拉力的增加PI纤维长度增加, 同时直径减小. PI纤维轴上(004)晶面的间距、 晶粒尺寸、 线性热膨胀系数(为负值)的绝对值及玻璃化转变温度都随热处理时拉力的增加而增大. 纤维的断裂强度随拉力的变化基本保持在0.90 GPa左右, 断裂伸长率随着拉力增加稍有下降, 纤维的初始模量随拉力的增大而增加.     

Preparation of nonwoven polyimide/silica hybrid nanofiberous fabrics by combining electrospinning and controlled in situ sol-gel techniques

A controlled in situ sol-gel synthesis combined with the electrospinning technique and postspun imidization was applied in the fabrication of polyimide/silica hybrid nonwoven nanofiberous fabrics with excellent thermal and mechanical performance. The nanofiberous fabrics were prepared by electrospinning of the solution of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and polyamic acid (PAA). The different silica contents in the fabrics were achieved by varying the amount of TEOS while fitting the solid content of PAA. The final polyimide/silica fabrics was obtained after imidization of PAA and gelation of silica phase simultaneously accomplished through a step-wise heating process. Some specific IR techniques and other characterizations indicated the successful incorporation of the silicon dioxide (SiO₂) into the PI matrix and the relatively even distribution of the SiO₂ in the fabrics. An increase of 133 °C in the decomposition temperature and 4-fold enhancement of the ultimate tensile strength were achieved for the hybrids with a 6.58 wt.% of SiO₂ content, compared to the pure PI fabric. The excellent performance could be attributed to the good compatibility between the polyimide and silica, and good adhesion among the fibers, which resulted from the controlled TEOS hydrolysis and the simultaneous imidization and gelation process.     

Preparation of porous polyimide/in‐situ reduced graphene oxide composite films for electromagnetic interference shielding

Herein we report an easy and efficient approach to prepare lightweight porous polyimide (PI)/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composite films. First, porous poly (amic acid) (PAA)/graphene oxide (GO) composite films were prepared via non‐solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) process. Afterwards PAA was converted into PI through thermal imidization and simultaneously GO dispersed in PAA matrix was in situ thermally reduced to RGO. The GO undergoing the same thermal treatment process as thermal imidization was characterized with thermogravimetric analysis, Raman spectra, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction to demonstrate that GO was in situ reduced during thermal imidization process. The resultant porous PI/RGO composite film (500‐µm thickness), which was prepared from pristine PAA/GO composite with 8 wt% GO, exhibited effective electrical conductivity of 0.015 S m^?1 and excellent specific shielding efficiency value of 693 dB cm² g^?1. In addition, the thermal stability of the porous PI/RGO composite films was also dramatically enhanced. Compared with that of porous PI film, the 5% weight loss temperature of the composite film mentioned above was improved from 525°C to 538°C. Moreover, tensile test showed that the composite film mentioned above possessed a tensile strength of 6.97 MPa and Young's modulus of 545 MPa, respectively. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fabrication of highly refractive BaTiO3 nanocomposite films using heat resistant polymer as matrix

Highly refractive, heat-resistant BaTiO₃ nanocomposite films were fabricated via in situ polymerization to homogeneously disperse barium titanate (BT) nanoparticles into polyimide (PI) matrix. BT nanoparticles surface-modified with O-phosphorylethanol phthalimide (PPHI) were employed to the in situ polymerization in which condensation reactions of a diphthalic anhydride and a diamine were conducted to form the prepolymer of poly(amic acid) (PAA) that was thermally imidized in the following step. The nanoparticles surface-modified were added to PAA solution at different times in the polymerization to examine the effect of PAA molecular weight on the refractive index (RI) of the nanocomposite films, which indicated that relatively low molecular weights (<10,000) of PAA formed at the point of nanoparticle addition was appropriate for enhancement of nanocomposite RI. An additional treatment of chemical imidization using acetic acid anhydride and pyridine, which was followed by the thermal imidization, was performed to examine the effect of polyimide structure on RI of nanocomposite films. The RI of nanocomposite films with excellent thermal stability could be successfully enhanced to n = 1.88 by the chemical imidization.     

A study of the curing behavior of polyamic acid coated on a Cu or Zn layer

ZnO and Cu₂O nanoparticles can be formed through the thermal decomposition of the complex between Zn or Cu with polyamic acid (PAA), accompanying with the formation of polyimide (PI). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis showed that the formation of ZnO nanoparticles needs a longer curing time than that of Cu₂O. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) characterization shows that both Zn and Cu will delay the imidization process of PAA. However, the retarding degree of imidization process is higher for Zn than that of Cu. Further investigation showed the structure of Zn–PAA complex is different from that of Cu–PAA, which is the reason for the difference of initial imidization temperature. Thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG–DTA) characterization agrees well with the results of FT-IR. Also, the thermal decomposition temperature of the polyimide was changed by the involvement of Zn or Cu during curing.     

Non‐surfactant template‐directed synthesis of SiO2‐polyimide hybrid self‐standing films with ordered mesoporous structure

The silica‐PI hybrid self‐standing films with ordered mesoporous structure have been prepared by using dibenzoyl‐L ‐tartaric acid (L ‐DBTA) as non‐surfactant template under mild sol–gel route. Polyimide matrix was obtained from polyamic acid (PAA) via thermal imidization process and the template was removed in this process. The PI‐based hybrid film with 20 wt% SiO₂ obtained from DBTA presented the ordered mesoporous channels with average pore size of about 2.0 nm and BET surface area of 1167 m²/g. FTIR and SEM studies indicated that the hydrogen bond interaction between the carboxylic groups of DBTA and benzamide bonds of PAA made the PAA possibly participate in the assembly process of the aggregates of the non‐surfactant template molecules. The mechanical, thermal and some physical properties of these hybrid films materials were also characterized. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation, structure and properties of porous polyimide films via PAA/PU alloy

A new route to porous polyimide (PI) films with pore sizes in the nanometer regime was developed. A polyamic acid (PAA)/polyurethane (PU) blend with PU as the disperse phase was first prepared via in situ polymerization of pyromellitic dianhydride and 4,4-oxydianiline in PU solutions. Porous PI films were obtained from PAA/PU films by thermolysis of PU at 360°C and imidization of PAA at 300°C, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis were used to detect the imidization and thermolysis processes of PAA/PU blends under thermal treatment. The microporous structure of the PI films was observed by transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the size and content of pores increased with an increase in the PU mass fraction in the PAA/PU blend up to 20%. Because of the existence of nanopores, the dielectric constant of PI films decreased by a wide margin and was less than 2.0 at a PU mass fraction of 20%. It implies that this is an effective means to reduce the dielectric constant of PI, but it also causes the decrease of tensile strength and the rise of water absorption. Translated from Chemistry Journal of Chinese Universities 2006, 27(1): (in Chinese)     

Structure and properties of polyimide films during a far‐infrared‐induced imidization process

The conversion of poly(amic acid) into polyimide (PI) was achieved with far‐infrared radiation (FIR) and conventional thermal treatments. The structure and properties of PI films during different stages of imidization were studied with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, weight‐loss analysis during imidization, tensile property measurements, and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. The effects of the imidization degree, postimidization, and solvent on the thermal and mechanical properties of PI films were quantitatively investigated. The corresponding structural changes were also examined. The experimental results showed that the imidization process proceeded more quickly and more completely in an FIR oven than in a conventional oven. A prolonged FIR treatment at a lower temperature (25–100 °C) accelerated the imidization process. The tensile stress–strain curves had a fanlike distribution with the development of the FIR imidization process and a fishtail distribution with conventional thermal imidization. During FIR imidization, the best tensile properties were obtained at 340 °C, and thermooxidative degradation occurred at about 420 °C. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2490–2501, 2004     

Structure and properties of polyimide fibers containing benzimidazole and Amide Units

Co‐polyimide (co‐PI) fibers with outstanding mechanical properties were fabricated via thermal imidization of polyamic acids, derived from a new design of combining the amide and benzimidazole diamine monomers, 4‐amino‐N‐(4‐aminophenyl)benzamide (DABA) and 2‐(4‐aminophenyl)‐5‐aminobenzimidazole (BIA), with 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA). The crystalline structure and micromorphology of the prepared co‐PI fibers were investigated by synchrotron wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) and small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS). The two‐dimensional WAXD spectra imply that the co‐PI fibers possess a structure between smectic‐like and three‐dimensionally ordered crystalline phase, and all the obtained fibers are highly oriented along the fiber axis. SAXS patterns exhibit a pair of meridional scattering streaks for the homo‐PI (BPDA/BIA) fiber, suggesting the presence of periodic lamellar structure. The incorporation of DABA into the polymer chains destroyed the lamellar structure but led to smaller size of microvoids upon increasing DABA moiety, based on SAXS analysis. The co‐PI fibers, with the molar ratio of BIA/DABA being 7/3, exhibited the optimum tensile strength and modulus of 1.96 and 108.3 GPa, respectively, attributed to the well‐defined ordered and dense structure. The chemical structure and molecular packing significantly affected the thermal stability of fibers, resulting in the different glass transition temperatures (T_g) from 350 to 380 °C. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 183–191     

聚酰亚胺纤维的研究进展

聚酰亚胺纤维由于分子主链含有刚性的芳杂环结构,赋予其优异的力学、热学、耐辐照、介电以及化学稳定性等性能,从而在航空航天、高温耐热、防火阻燃、电子器件、核能等领域具有广泛应用前景,并成为21世纪最具潜力的高性能纤维之一。近年来,随着单体来源、工艺条件的不断改善,聚酰亚胺纤维的研究得到更大关注和投入,极大促进了聚酰亚胺纤维的规模化制备和应用发展开发。本文综述了近年来高性能聚酰亚胺纤维的国内外研究成果,并针对不同化学结构、纺丝工艺以及亚胺化方法对纤维性能的影响进行阐述,同时也对其发展趋势进行展望。     

Synthesis and characterization of thermally stable and flame retardant hexakis(4-aminophenoxy)cyclotriphosphazene-based polyimide matrices

A new approach to the preparation of hexakis(4-aminophenoxy)cyclotriphosphazene (HACTP) based polyimide (PI) matrices is proposed, for improved thermal and flame retardant properties. HACTP was synthesized with good yield. The structure of HACTP was confirmed by various characterization techniques, such as FTIR, NMR, and mass Spectroscopy. Polyimide matrices were prepared by thermal imidization process using HACTP and dianhydrides using N-methyl pyrrolidone as a solvent. The successful formation of HACTP-based polyimide matrices was confirmed by the FTIR. Thermal properties of the PI were analyzed using DSC and TGA techniques. Data obtained from the thermal studies indicate that the HACTP-based PI possesses better thermal and flame retardant properties.     

Synthesis and properties of novel polyimide fibers containing phosphorus groups in the side chain (DATPPO)

A series of polyamic acid copolymers(co-PAAs) containing phosphorous groups in the side chains were synthesized from [2,5-bis(4-aminophenoxy) phenyl] diphenylphosphine oxide(DATPPO) and 4,4′-oxydianiline(ODA) with 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride(s-BPDA) through the polycondensation in N,N′-dimethyacetamide(DMAc). The co-PAA solutions were spun into fibers by a dry-jet wet spinning process followed by thermal imidization to obtain co-polyimide(co-PI) fibers. FTIR spectra and elemental analysis confirmed the chemical structure of PI fibers. SEM results indicated that the resulting PI fibers had a smooth and dense surface, a uniform and circle-shape diameter. The thermogravimetric measurements showed that with the increase of DATPPO content, the resulting PI fibers possessed high decomposition temperature and residual char yield, indicating that the PI fibers had good thermal stability. The corresponding limiting oxygen index(LOI) values from the experiment results showed that the co-PI fibers possessed good flame-retardant property. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the co-PI fibers were investigated systematically. When the DATPPO content increased, the tensile strength and initial modulus of the co-PI fibers decreased. However, the mechanical properties were improved by increasing the draw ratio of the fibers. When the draw ratio was up to 2.5, the tensile strength and initial modulus of the co-PI fibers reached up to 0.64 and 10.02 GPa, respectively. The WAXD results showed that the order degree of amorphous matter increased with increased stretching. In addition, the SAXS results displayed that valuably drawing the fibers could eliminate the voids inside and lead to better mechanical property. WAXD revealed that the orientation of the amorphous polymer influenced the mechanical properties of the fibers.     

Studies on polyimide imidization in far‐infrared radiation

In this paper, the monomers 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA), 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyl dianhydride (BPDA), 3,4′‐oxidianiline (3,4′‐ODA), and 4,4′‐oxidianiline (4,4′‐ODA) were selected to synthesize polyimides (PI) or copolyimides (co‐PI) in N,N‐dimethyl acetamide (DMAc) by two‐step method. To control the PI molecular weight (MW), phthalic anhydride (PA) was used as the end‐capping reagent. The effect of far‐infrared radiation (FIR) on PI imidization was investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Some factors affecting imidization process in FIR were discussed, including PI imidization time and temperature, molecular structure, designed number average molecular weight, crystalline, imidization procedure, film thickness, polyamide acid (PAA) solid content, and so forth. The PI imidization process in FIR will be affected by all these factors. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 3621–3627, 2005     

Spontaneous molecular orientation of polyimides induced by thermal imidization (5). Effect of ordered structure formation in polyimide precursors on CTE

Six poly(amic acid) (PAA) systems based on pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) formed some ordered structures with optical anisotropies clearly detectable on an optical polarizing microscope (POM) in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) at room temperature at high solute concentrations (15-25 wt.%) with complete sol-gel transition reversibility, whereas PAA systems based on 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (s-BPDA) with a variety of diamine components showed no optical anisotropy in solution. However, a fluorescence probe technique combined with solution viscosity measurements suggested that a PAA derived s-BPDA with 1,4-phenylenediamine (PDA), i.e., PAA(s-BPDA/PDA) forms some ordered structure with a POM-undetectable very local scale during prolonged storage in NMP at room temperature. The introduction of the biphenyldiimide (BPDI) units at 33% into the PAA(s-BPDA/PDA) main chains by copolymerization allowed the formation of optically anisotropic gels with a smectic liquid crystal-like ordered structure by cooling the NMP solution at −20 °C. PI films derived from s-BPDA with PDA, i.e., PI(s-BPDA/PDA) were prepared upon thermal imidization of the BPDI-containing PAA films dried at 40 °C for 2.5 h. An increase in the BPDI content caused a gradual decrease in the linear coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the PI films. This can be interpreted as a result of an intensified pre-orientation at the stage of the PAA cast films by incorporation of the BPDI units. When the BPDI-containing PAA solutions were heated at 70 °C for 4 min prior to the drying process at 40 °C, the ordered structures can be cancelled without imidization, and the CTE values of the resulting PI films appreciably increased compared to the case without heating at 70 °C. A similar effect was observed even in the BPDI-free original s-BPDA/PDA system. The results suggest the presence of a POM-undetectable very locally ordered structure in the PAA cast films, which promotes the pre-orientation of the PAA chains in the cast films and consequently can contribute to a further decrease in the CTE of the PI(s-BPDA/PDA) films.     

Mechanical properties of polyimide/multi-walled carbon nanotube composite fibers

A series of polyimide (PI)/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composite fibers were prepared by copolymerizing a mixture of monomers and carboxylic-functionalized MWCNTs, followed by dry-jet wet spinning, thermal imidization, and hot-drawing process. The content of the carboxylic groups of MWCNTs significantly increased when treated with mixed acid, whereas their length decreased with treatment time. Both the carboxylic content and length of MWCNTs influenced the mechanical properties of the composite fibers. Fiber added with 0.1 wt% MWCNTs treated for 4 h exhibited the best mechanical properties, i.e., 1.4 GPa tensile strength and 14.30% elongation at break, which were 51% and 32% higher than those of pure PI fibers, respectively. These results indicated that a suitable MWCNT content strengthened and toughened the resultant PI composite fibers, simultaneously. Moreover, raising draw ratio resulted in the increase of tensile strength and tensile modulus of the composite fibers.     

Preparation and characterization of sulfonated polyimide ionomers via post‐sulfonation method for fuel cell applications

This paper describes our work on the synthesis of a series of sulfonated homo‐/co‐polyimides (SPI) which were obtained by post‐sulfonation method over three steps. In the first step, 4,4′‐oxydianiline (ODA) and 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS) dissolved in N‐methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) were reacted with benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) in order to yield poly(amic acid) (PAA). Secondly, precipitated PAA was sulfonated via concentrated sulfuric acid (95–98%) at room temperature to give post‐sulfonated PAA (PSPAA). Finally, PSPAA was converted into post‐sulfonated PI (PSPI) by the thermal imidization method. PSPIs with ion exchange capacity (IEC) ranging from 0.20 to 0.67 meq/g were prepared. The thermal properties of the PSPIs were evaluated and high desulfonation temperature was found in the range of 190–350°C, suggesting the high stability of sulfonic acid groups. In water, PSPI‐5 membrane displayed similar proton conductivity to Nafion®117, whereas this membrane showed poor conductivity in dry state. All PSPIs displayed good solubility in common polar aprotic solvents such as NMP and dimethylacetamide (DMAc). Furthermore, the effects of post‐sulfonation reaction on chemical structure, thermal oxidative behavior, and physical properties of the PSPI membranes such as membrane quality/stability and water uptake were discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation of Poly(amic acid) and Polyimide via Microwave-Assisted Polycondensation of Aromatic Dianhydrides and Diamines

Summary: A copolycondesation-type poly (amic acid) (PAA) was synthesized using pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) as dianhydride monomers, and 4,4′-oxydianiline (ODA) as a diamine monomer under microwave irradiation in dimethylformamide (DMF). PAA was then converted into a polyimide (PI) by an imidization. The structure and performance of the polymer were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) spectrometry, viscosity, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric (TG) analyses. The results showed that under microwave irradiation, the intrinsic viscosity and the yield of PAA were increases, and the reaction time was shortened. The FT-IR spectra of the polymer revealed characteristic peaks for PI around 1778^– and 1723 cm^–1. TG curves indicated that the obtained PI began to lose weight at 535 °C, and its 10% thermal decomposition temperature under N₂ was 587 °C.     

Spontaneous molecular orientation of polyimides induced by thermal imidization (4): Casting- and melt-induced in-plane orientation

Driving forces of in-plane chain orientation of polyimides (PIs) and their precursors were discussed and the mechanisms were proposed. A polyimide precursor, poly(amic acid) (PAA) derived from 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (s-BPDA) with p-phenylenediamine (PDA) showed a certain degree of in-plane orientation in its solution-casting process and clear molecular weight dependence. The results allowed us to propose the casting-induced in-plane orientation mechanism of the rigid PAA chains. The imidization-induced in-plane orientation mechanism was also discussed by investigating how residual solvent content influences the degree of in-plane orientation of resultant PI films. The results suggested that the magnitudes of the PI chain in-plane orientation are dominated by a combined effect of the initial PAA orientation, apparent stretching based on a great thickness decrease, and the molecular mobility during thermal imidization. In a system derived from s-BPDA with 2,2′-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzidine (TFMB), the effect of molecular mobility during thermal imidization was predominant when cured under usual thermal conditions owing to the presence of the trifluoromethyl groups contributing to weakened intermolecular interaction. In s-BPDA/TFMB and s-BPDA/m-TOL systems (m-TOL = m-tolidine), a melt-induced in-plane orientation phenomenon was observed at temperatures corresponding to their T_g’s when the extents of in-plane chain orientation (f values) were monitored as a function of temperature in the stepwise heating process. This behavior is very curious because there are no appreciable dimensional, morphological, and structural changes as some driving forces just above the T_g of s-BPDA/TFMB.     

Unique fluorescence behavior of perylenetetracarboxydiimides in polyimide systems

Perylenetetracarboxydiimide (PEDI) molecularly dispersed in polyamic acid (PAA) and polyimide (PI) films has unique fluorescence properties. An originally strong fluorescence of PEDI is efficiently quenched in the PAA films. The systematic variation of the chain structure of the PAA matrices revealed that the aromatic amide groups in the PAA chains function as a quencher. When a PAA derived from 3,4,3′4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) and p-phenylenediamine (PDA), BPDA/PDA, was used as a matrix polymer, the fluorescence of the dye dispersed in the film increased abruptly as imidization of the matrix proceeds. But annealing at temperatures higher than 320°C in the step-heating process caused a gradual decrease in the fluorescence intensity. The decreased intensity results from the dye–PDA units interactions intensified by the denser molecular packing of the matrix polymer chains. PEDI shows significant dependence of the fluorescence intensity on the chain structure of the PI matrices. In the various PI films containing a fixed diamine component, the dye fluorescence intensity reduces linearly with an increase in the intramolecular charge transfer ability of the PI matrices. From the result, we propose a fluorescence quenching mechanism through multistep electron transfer processes. The BPDA/PDA polyimide matrix leads to a strong PEDI fluorescence whereas the pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA)-based PI matrices do not. For the blends composed of these PIs, the fluorescence of PEDI bound into the main chains provides a valuable indicator of the miscibility on the molecular level. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 36: 827–840, 1998