Tunable memory performances of the porphyrin terminated hyperbranched polyimides

Herein, a functional hyperbranched polyimide, denoted as ATPP‐HBPI, was synthesized by termination of polyamic acid with 5‐(4‐aminophenyl)‐10, 15, 20‐triphenylporphyrin (ATPP) and chemical imidization. Subsequently, ATPP‐HBPI was coordinated with Zn ion to give Zn‐ATPP‐HBPI. In the HBPIs, the porphyrin terminals acted as the electron donor (D) and the 6FDA moieties acted as the electron acceptor (A) to promote the electron transition. Both ATPP‐HBPI and Zn‐ATPP‐HBPI exhibited good organo‐solubility and high thermal stability. They were used as the electroactive layer to fabricate the memory device with a configuration of indium tin oxide (ITO)/HBPI/Al to evaluate their bistability. The devices exhibited different memory behaviors, WORM for ATPP‐HBPI and SRAM for Zn‐ATPP‐HBPI, respectively. Optical and electrochemical experiments and molecular simulation were carried out to illustrate this phenomenon of performance transformation. The results show that the metallization of terminal of the HBPIs provides a strategy for tailoring the memory characteristics of the devices. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 1953–1961     

Synthesis of novel fluorinated hyperbranched polyimides with excellent optical properties

Novel anhydride‐terminated fluorinated hyperbranched polyimides (FHBPIs) were successfully prepared by condensation of a triamine monomer, 1,3,5‐tris(2‐trifluoromethyl‐4‐aminopheoxy) benzene (TFAPOB), and various aromatic dianhydride monomers with different linear length. UV–vis spectra indicate high optical transparency of FHBPI films with a UV–vis absorption edge of 350–395 nm. FHBPIs show increased mechanical properties with the linear length of dianhydride monomer. Young's moduli of FHBPI range from 2.37 to 2.56 Gpa, similar to those of their linear analogs. These FHBPI films also present a minimum birefringence value as low as 0.0025 at 650 nm and have low optical absorption in the optical communication wavelengths of 1310 and 1550 nm. Rib‐type optical waveguide device fabricated by FHBPI‐4d demonstrated an obvious near‐field mode pattern of the waveguide. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 6269–6279, 2009     

Nonvolatile resistive memory devices based on ferrocene‐terminated hyperbranched polyimide derived from different dianhydrides

A series of ferrocene‐terminated hyperbranched polyimides (HBPI‐Fcs) were synthesized from a tetra‐amine, bis(4‐(3,5‐bis (4‐amino‐2‐(trifluoromethyl) phenoxy) phenoxy) phenyl) methanon, and various dianhydrides, followed by termination with (4‐amino) phenyl ferrocene. All the HBPI‐Fcs possessed good organo‐solubility and high thermal stability. The devices based on HBPI‐Fcs exhibited bipolar and nonvolatile write‐once‐read‐many times (WORM) memory performance with various threshold voltages and the same ON/OFF current ratio of 10⁴. Moreover, the devices possessed excellent bistability under a constant bias of −1.00 V during a test period of 10⁴ s. The different charge trapping ability of the electron‐accepting moiety endowed the devices with different the threshold voltages. Mechanism analysis showed that the switching behavior was dominated by the charge trapping effect and the charge transfer was well fitted with the space‐current‐limited‐current (SCLC) and ohmic model. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 505–513     

Synthesis of polyimides containing triphenylamine‐substituted triazole moieties for polymer memory applications

A series of thermally stable aromatic polyimides containing triphenylamine‐substituted triazole moieties ( AZTA‐PI )s were prepared and characterized. The glass transition temperatures (T_g) of the polyimides were found to be in the range of 262–314 °C. The polyimides obtained by chemical imidization had inherent viscosities of 0.25–0.44 dL g^?1 in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone. The number average molecular weights (M_n) and weight average molecular weights (M_w) were 1.9–3.2 × 10⁴ and 3.2–5.6 × 10⁴, respectively, and the polydispersity indices (PDI = M_w/M_n) were in the range of 1.70–1.78. A resistive switching device was constructed from the 4,4′‐hexafluoroisopropylidenediphthalic dianhydride‐based soluble polyimide ( AZTA‐PIa ) in a sandwich structure of indium‐tin oxide/polymer/Al. The as‐fabricated device can be switched from the initial low‐conductivity (OFF) state to the high‐conductivity (ON) state at a switching threshold voltage of 2.5 V under either positive or negative electrical sweep, with an ON/OFF state current ratio in the order of 10⁵ at ?1 V. The device is able to remain in the ON state even after turning off the power or under a reverse bias. The nonvolatile and nonrewritable natures of the ON state indicate that the device is a write‐once read‐many times (WORM) memory. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Dynamic Random Access Memory Effect and Memory Device Derived from a Functional Polyimide Containing Electron Donor‐Acceptor Pairs in the Main Chain

A functional polyimide, hexafluoroisopropyl bis(phthalic dianhydride)/3,6‐diaminocarbazole (6FDA/DAC), in which DAC serves as electron donor and 6FDA as electron acceptor, has been synthesized in our present work. Electrical characterization results on the sandwiched polyimide memory device (ITO/Thin polyimide Layer/Au) indicate that the polyimide possesses electrical bistability and the device exhibits two accessible conductivity states, which can be reversibly switched from the low‐conductivity (OFF) state to the high‐conductivity (ON) state with an ON/OFF current ratio of about 10⁴. Different from the widely reported write‐once‐read‐many‐times (WORM) effects, the device with the 6FDA/DAC polyimide as the active layer shows dynamic random access memory (DRAM) behavior. The ON state of the device was lost immediately after removal of the applied voltage, while by applying a constant bias (e.g., 3 V) the ON state can be electrically sustained. The roles of donor and acceptor components in the polyimide main chain were elucidated through molecular simulation.

     

Synthesis of soluble branched polyimides derived from an ABB′ monomer

A novel ABB′ monomer, an isomeric mixture of 4‐[4‐(2,4‐diaminophenoxy)phenoxy]phthalic acid 2‐methyl ester, was successfully prepared. The direct polycondensation of the ABB′ monomer was carried out to form polyamic acid monomethyl ester as a precursor with an inherent viscosity of 0.30 dL/g and a number‐average molecular weight of 12,000. The degree of branching of the precursor, determined by ¹H NMR, was 0.07. The low degree of branching was caused by the differences in the reactivities of the amino groups. The shape factor was calculated to be 0.72. End‐modified reactions with acetyl chloride, benzoyl chloride, and phthalic anhydride were carried out. After the chemical imidization of the end‐modified precursors, end‐modified polyimides were successfully prepared. The end‐modified polyimides were soluble in dimethyl sulfoxide, dimethylformamide (DMF), and N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone. On the basis of thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry measurements of the polyimides, the 5 wt % thermal loss temperatures were determined to be 400–520 °C, and the glass‐transition temperatures were determined to be 200–258 °C. According to the X‐ray diffraction measurements, the end‐modified polyimides were amorphous. A strong but brittle film was prepared from an acetamide end‐modified polyimide solution, via casting from a DMF solution, with a tensile strength of 46 MPa, an elongation at break of 4%, and a modulus of 1.3 GPa. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 3200–3211, 2004     

Synthesis of alkaline‐developable,photosensitive hyperbranched polyimides through the reaction of carboxylic acid dianhydrides and trisamines

Hyperbranched polyimides (HBPI)s with high glass‐transition temperatures and excellent thermal stability were synthesized through the reaction of commercially available carboxylic acid dianhydrides with tris[4‐(4‐aminophenoxy)phenyl]ethane (TAPE). In particular, hyperbranched polyimide HBPI(TAPE‐DSDA), prepared through the reaction of TAPE with 3,3′,4,4′‐diphenylsulfonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (DSDA), showed higher thermal stability and good solubility. Furthermore, alkaline‐developable, photosensitive HBPI(TAPE‐DSDA)‐MA‐CA was prepared through the reaction of HBPI(TAPE‐DSDA) with glycidyl methacrylate with tetrabutylammonium bromide as a catalyst in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone (NMP) followed by the addition reaction of cis‐1,2,3,6‐tetrahydrophthalic anhydride with triphenylphosphine as a catalyst in NMP. The glass‐transition temperatures of HBPI(TAPE‐DSDA)‐MA‐CA were greater than 300 °C. A resist composed of 74 wt % HBPI(TAPE‐DSDA)‐MA‐CA, 22.2 wt % trimethylpropane triacrylate, and 3.8 wt % Irgacure 907 as a photoinitiator achieved a resolution of a 55‐μm line pattern and a 275‐μm space pattern by UV irradiation (1000 mJ/cm²). © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 3697–3707, 2004     

Polycyclic arene‐based D–A polyimide electrets for high‐performance n‐type organic field effect transistor memory devices

We report the memory characteristics of n‐type N,N′‐bis(2‐phenylethyl)‐perylene‐3,4:9,10‐tetracarboxylic diimide‐based organic field‐effect transistors (OFET) using a series of donor–acceptor (D–A) polyimide electrets of poly[4,4′‐diamino‐4″‐methyltriphenylamine‐hexafluoroisopropylidenediphthal imide] ( PI(AMTPA‐6FDA) ), poly[N,N‐bis‐(4‐aminophenyl)‐aminonaphthalene‐hexafluoroisopropylidenediphthalimide] ( PI(APAN‐6FDA) ), and poly[N,N‐bis‐(4‐aminophenyl)‐aminopyrene‐hexafluoroisopropylidenediphthalimide] ( PI(APAP‐6FDA) ). Among the polymer electrets, the OFET memory device based on PI(APAP‐6FDA) exhibits the largest memory window of 40.63 V and the best charge retention ability (maintained for over 10⁴ s with the ON/OFF current ratio about 10³) due to introducing polycyclic arene functionality of pyrene into the electron donating moiety. With the excellent carrier delocalization, pyrene successfully enhanced the charge storage ability and sustained the CT complex. Besides, PI(APAP‐6FDA)‐based OFET memory also performed well in the write‐read‐erase‐read tests for over 100 cycles. Our finding may provide a new approach for the preparation of high performance nonvolatile OFET memories with electrets of D–A polyimide systems. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 139–147     

Facile synthesis of hyperbranched polyimides from A2 + BB′2 monomers

Facile syntheses of hyperbranched polyimides were realized by the polymerization of A₂ + BB^′₂ monomers, 2,2‐bis(3,4‐dicarboxylphenyl) hexafluoropropane dianhydride (6FDA) + 2,4,6‐triaminopyrimidine (TAP), performed by mixing the monomers together in N‐methylpyrrolidone at 17% w/v concentrations with molar ratios of 6FDA:TAP ranging from 1:1 to 2:1. The lower reactivity of 2‐amino as compared with 4‐/6‐amino in TAP, demonstrated by ¹H NMR, was probably the main reason for no gelation formed during the polymerization although monomer conversions surpassed the theoretical gel points. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and NMR were used to verify the structures of the obtained polymers. ¹H NMR analysis indicated the degrees of branching (DB) of the polymers increased from 36 to 83% with the molar ratios of 6FDA:TAP increasing from 1:1 to 2:1. Molecular weights were determined by gel permeation chromatography, and inherent viscosities were measured. Glass‐transition temperature values, determined by differential scanning calorimetry, decreased when DB increased, and thermogravimetric analysis reflected the excellent thermal stability of the obtained hyperbranched polyimides. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 4563–4569, 2002     

Nonvolatile write‐once read‐many‐times memory behaviors of polyimides containing tetraphenyl fluorene core and the pendant triphenylamine or carbazole moieties

To better understand the structure–property relationships, two novel aromatic diamines containing tetraphenyl fluorene (TPF) moiety through triphenylamine (TPA) unit and carbazole (Cz) unit modification are designed and synthesized, respectively. Four thermally stable and excellent solubility polyimides are prepared and characterized. The excellent film‐formation ability and thin film stability are investigated by X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and atom force microscopy (AFM) measurements, respectively. The memory devices are fabricated, PIs films with low water uptakes sandwiched between indium‐tin oxide (ITO) ground electrode and Al top electrode, and exhibit nonvolatile write‐once read‐many‐times (WORM) memory behaviors with low threshold voltages, due to increasing the retention time through regulating the energy level. The current conduction mechanisms of all devices are linearly fitted by theoretical conduction model. Molecular simulations are used to demonstrate switching mechanism and the memory effects. The experimental results provide a sight for the design‐adjustable switching voltage of memory devices. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 1630–1644     

Synthesis and gas transport properties of ODPA-TAP-ODA hyperbranched polyimides with various comonomer ratios

A series of hyperbranched copolyimides (HBPI)s based on commercially available monomers 4,4′-oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA), 2,4,6-triaminopyrimidine (TAP) and 4,4′-oxydianiline (ODA) were prepared. The synthesis involved the formation of hyperbranched polyamic acid (PAA) precursors in the first step and the thermal imidization of cast thin PAA films in the second step. Two basic types of HBPIs were prepared by controlling the molar ratio of ODPA and an amine mixture of TAP and ODA. When the molar ratio was 1:1, the amine-terminated HBPIs were obtained; with the molar ratio of 2:1 anhydride-terminated HBPIs were prepared. Degree of branching was estimated by ¹H and ¹³C NMR analysis. It was found that approximately 48% of TAP units presented in ODPA:TAP:ODA = 1:0.75:0.25 HBPI macromolecules create the branching unit. Amine-terminated HBPIs showed moderate weight-average molecular weights and these values rather higher than for the anhydride-terminated HBPIs. With increasing ODA comonomer content in amine-terminated HBPIs increased their molecular weight and thermal and mechanical stability, whereas in anhydride-terminated HBPIs these trends were opposite. Amine-terminated HBPIs generally exhibited higher thermal stability than the anhydride-terminated ones. Gas permeability coefficients of both HBPIs types increased with increasing content of ODA comonomer. Prepared membranes exhibited high separation performance and have a potential to be utilized in industrial gas separation applications.     

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     

Synthesis and properties of high‐performance functional polyimides containing rigid nonplanar conjugated tetraphenylethylene moieties

A simple diamine (TetraPEDA) containing rigid nonplanar conjugated tetraphenylethylene (TetraPE) moieties was designed and synthesized through Wittig–Horner and Suzuki coupling reactions. Four kinds of high‐performance functional polyimides (PI) were thus prepared by the polymerization of TetraPEDA and four dianhydrides, respectively. Because of the introduction of the aromatic rigid nonplanar TetraPE structure, the PI exhibited special fluorescent characteristics, as the maximum fluorescence emission of the four PI was observed at 425–505 nm in NMP solution and at 470–491 nm in film state. Also these organo‐soluble PI showed outstanding properties, such as low dielectric constant (even without fluorinated substituent), light color, high glass transition temperatures (382–443 °C) and thermal stability in air (T_d5% up to 565 °C), and excellent mechanical properties. The polymer memory devices with the configuration of indium tin oxide/PI/aluminum (ITO/PI/Al) exhibited distinct volatile memory characteristics of static random access memory, with an ON/OFF current ratio of 1 × 10⁴ to 1 × 10⁵. These functional PI showed attractive potential applications in the field of high performance flexible polymer photoconducting devices or fluorescent polymer memory devices. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2013     

Synthesis and characterization of soluble polyimides functionalized with carbazole moieties

Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of new soluble polyimides that are functionalized using carbazole moieties in their side chain. As a monomer for synthesizing the polyimides, 4″‐carbazole‐9‐yl‐[1,1′;2′,1″] terphenyl‐4‐4′‐diamine and 2‐(3‐carbazol‐9‐yl‐propyl)‐biphenyl‐4,4′‐diamine were synthesized and then characterized using ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, FTIR, UV–visible and photoluminescence spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and elemental analysis. The polyimides synthesized via chemical imidization processes were characterized with X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, wide angle X‐ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, DSC, tensile strength measurement, and dielectric property measurement. Results showed that the synthesized polyimides were soluble in a variety of organic solvents, optically transparent in a visible range, thermally stable, mechanically strong, and considerably low dielectric. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 8117–8130, 2008     

Hydroxyl‐ and amine‐terminated hyperbranched polyurethanes using AB2‐type azide monomers: Synthesis,characterization, fluorescence,and charge‐transfer complexation studies

Novel AB₂‐type azide monomers such as 3,5‐bis(4‐methylolphenoxy)carbonyl azide (monomer 1) , 3,5‐bis(methylol)phenyl carbonyl azide (monomer 2) , 4‐(methylol phenoxy) isopthaloyl azide (monomer 3) , and 5‐(methylol) isopthaloyl azide (monomer 4) were synthesized. Melt and solution polymerization of these monomers yielded hydroxyl‐ and amine‐terminated hyperbranched polyurethanes with and without flexible ether groups. The structures of theses polymers were established using FT‐IR and NMR spectroscopy. The molecular weights (M_w) of the polymers were found to vary from 3.2 × 10³ to 5.5 × 10⁴ g/mol depending on the experimental conditions used. The thermal properties of the polymers were evaluated using TGA and DSC: the polymer obtained from monomer ( 1 ) exhibited lowest T_g and highest thermal stability and the polymer obtained from monomer ( 2 ) registered the highest T_g and lowest thermal stability. All the polymers displayed fluorescence maxima in the 425–525 nm range with relatively narrow peak widths indicating that they had pure and intense fluorescence. Also, the polymers formed charge transfer (CT) complexes with electron acceptor molecules such as 7,7,8,8‐tetracyano‐quino‐dimethane (TCNQ) and 1,1,2,2‐tetracyanoethane (TCNE) as evidenced by UV‐visible spectra. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 47: 3337–3351, 2009     

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     

Shape‐memory effect in hyperbranched poly(ethyleneimine)‐modified epoxy thermosets

A series of shape‐memory epoxy thermosets were synthesized by crosslinking diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A with mixtures of commercially available hyperbranched poly(ethyleneimine) and polyetheramine. Thermal, mechanical and shape‐memory properties were studied and the effect on them of the content and structure of the hyperbranched polymer was discussed. Measurements showed that the glass transition temperature can be tailored from 60 °C to 117 °C depending on the hyperbranched polymer content, and all formulations showed an appropriate glassy/rubbery storage modulus ratio. Shape‐memory programming was carried out at TgE′ given the excellent mechanical properties of the materials, with maximum stress and failure strain up to 15 MPa and 60%, respectively. The resulting shape‐memory behavior was excellent, with maximum shape recovery and shape fixity of 98% as well as a fast shape‐recovery rate of 22%/min. The results show that hyperbranched poly(ethyleneimine) as a crosslinking agent can be used to enhance mechanical and shape‐memory properties with different effects depending on the crosslinking density. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 924–933     

Synthesis and characterization of hyperbranched polyimides with good organosolubility and thermal properties based on a new triamine and conventional dianhydrides

A triamine monomer, 1,3,5‐tris(4‐aminophenoxy)benzene (TAPOB), was synthesized from phloroglucinol and 4‐chloronitrobenzene, and it was successfully polymerized into soluble hyperbranched polyimides (HB PIs) with commercially available dianhydrides: 4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride (6FDA), 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA), and 3,3′,4,4′‐benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA). Different monomer addition methods and different monomer molar ratios resulted in HB PIs with amino or anhydride end groups. From ¹H NMR spectra, the degrees of branching of the amino‐terminated polymers were estimated to be 0.65, 0.62, and 0.67 for 6FDA–TAPOB, ODPA–TAPOB, and BTDA–TAPOB, respectively. All polymers showed good thermal properties with 10% weight‐loss temperatures (T₁₀'s) above 505 °C and glass‐transition temperatures (T_g's) of 208–282 °C for various dianhydrides. The anhydride‐terminated HB PIs showed lower T₁₀ and T_g values than their amino‐terminated counterparts. The chemical conversion of the terminal amino or anhydride groups of the 6FDA‐based polyimides into an aromatic imido structure improved their thermal stability, decreased their T_g, and improved their solubility. The HB PIs had moderate molecular weights with broad distributions. The 6FDA‐based HB PIs exhibited good solubility even in common low‐boiling‐point solvents such as chloroform, tetrahydrofuran, and acetone. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 3804–3814, 2002     

Synthesis and characterization of highly stable blue‐light‐emitting hyperbranched conjugated polymers

Polyfluorene homopolymer ( P1 ) and its carbazole derivatives ( P2 – P4 ) have been prepared with good yield by Suzuki coupling polymerization. P2 is an alternating copolymer based on fluorene and carbazole; P3 is a hyperbranched polymer with carbazole derivative as the core and polyfluorene as the long arms; P4 is a hyperbranched polymer with carbazole derivative as the core and the alternating fluorene and carbazole as the long arms. These polymers show highly thermal stability, and their structures and physical properties are studied using gel permeation chromatography, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, UV–vis absorption, photoluminescence, and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The influence of the incorporation of carbazole and the hyperbranched structures on the thermal, electrochemical, and electroluminescent properties has been investigated. Both carbazole addition and the hyperbranched structure increase the thermal and photoluminescent stability. The CV shows an increase of the HOMO energy levels for the derivatives, compared with polyfluorene homopolymer ( P1 ). The EL devices fabricated by these polymers exhibit pure blue‐light‐emitting with negligible low‐energy emission bands, indicating that the hyperbranched structure has a strong effect on the PLED characteristics. The results imply that incorporating carbazole into polyfluorene to form a hyperbranched structure is an efficient way to obtain highly stable blue‐light‐emitting conjugated polymers, and it is possible to adjust the property of light‐emitting polymers by the amount of carbazole derivative incorporated into the polymers. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 790–802, 2008     

Polyimides with alicyclic diamines. II. Hydrogen abstraction and photocrosslinking reactions of benzophenone-type polyimides

Photosensitive polyimides with alicyclic diamines and benzophenone moiety were prepared by reactions of 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) with diamines in aprotic solvents, followed by thermal or chemical imidizations. Among them the polyimide from BTDA and bis(4-amino-3-methylcyclohexyl) methane (DMDHM) can be dissolved in several organic solvents such as dichloromethane, tetrachloroethane, and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). In order to compare properties of the polyimides with alicyclic diamines with those of corresponding aromatic polyimides, the UV absorption spectra and fluorescence spectra of these polyimides and their model compounds were investigated. No occurrence of charge transfer at photoexcited states was ascertained for the polyimides with alicyclic diamines. The hydrogen abstraction and crosslinking during photoirradiation have been studied to learn the influence of the elimination of charge transfer process in these photosensitive polyimides. The quantum yield of hydrogen abstraction for the model compound of alicyclic polyimides is 0.56 in THF measured with HPLC. The quantum yield for the photocrosslinking reaction of the solvent-soluble polyimide with alicyclic diamine, PI(BTDA/DMDHM), was determined to be 0.004 in air from gel permeation chromatography (GPC) measurement, which is four times higher than that for photosensitive polyimides with aromatic diamines. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.