Relationships between chemical structures and solubility,diffusivity, and permselectivity of 1,3-butadiene and n-butane in 6FDA-based polyimides

The solubility, diffusivity, and permselectivity of 1,3-butadiene and n-butane in seven different polyimides synthesized from 2,2-bis (3,4-carboxyphenyl) hexafluoropropane dianhydride (6FDA) were determined at 298 K. The influence of chemical structures on physical and gas permeation properties of 6FDA-based polyimides was studied. Solubility of 1,3-butadiene in 6FDA-based polyimides can be described by a dual-mode sorption model. 1,3-Butadiene-induced plasticization is considered to be associated with the increasing permeabilities of 1,3-butadiene and n-butane and the decreasing permselectivity of 1,3-butadiene vs. n-butane in the mixed gas system containing a high concentration of 1,3-butadiene. It was found that controlling the solubility of 1,3-butadiene in an unrelaxed volume in 6FDA-based polyimides is very important to maintain the high permselectivity of 1,3-butadiene vs. n-butane in the mixed gas system. Changing the  C(CF₃)₂ linkage to a  CH₂ ,  O linkage, removing methyl substituents at the ortho position of the imide linkage, and changing the p-phenylene linkage to an m-phenylene linkage in the main chains in some 6FDA-based polyimides are effective to decrease fractional free volume and restrict the solubility of 1,3-butadiene in the unrelaxed volume of a polymer matrix. The 6FDA-based polyimides restricting the solubility of 1,3-butadiene in an unrelaxed volume exhibit high separation performance in the 1,3-butadiene/n-butane mixed gas system compared with conventional glassy polymers and, therefore, are potentially useful membrane materials for the separation of 1,3-butadiene and n-butane in the petrochemical industry. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 37: 2941–2949, 1999     

Structure/permeability relationships of polyimides with branched or extended diamine moieties

Mean permeability coefficients for CO₂, O₂, N₂, and CH₄ in seven types of 6FDA polyimides with branched or extended diamine moieties were determined at 35.0°C (95.0°F) and at pressures up to 10.5 atm (155 psia). In addition, solubility coefficients for CO₂, O₂, N₂, and CH₄ in six of these polyimides were determined at 35.0°C and at 6.8 atm (100 psia). Mean diffusion coefficients for the six gas/polyimide systems were calculated from the permeability and solubility data. The relationships between the chemical structure of the polyimides, some of their physical properties (glass transition temperature, mean interchain spacing, specific free volume), and their gas permeability, diffusivity, and solubility behavior are discussed. The 6FDA polyimides studied here exhibit a considerably lower selectivity for the CO₂/CH₄ and O₂/N₂ gas pairs than 6FDA polyimides with short and stiff aromatic diamines with comparable CO₂ and O₂ permeabilities. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Effect of methyl substituents on permeability and permselectivity of gases in polyimides prepared from methyl-substituted phenylenediamines

Permeability and solubility coefficients for H₂, CO₂, O₂, CO, N₂, and CH₄ in polyimides prepared from 6FDA and methyl-substituted phenylenediamines were measured to investigate effects of the substituents on gas permeability and permselectivity. The methyl substituents restrict internal rotation around the bonds between the phenyl rings and the imide rings. The rigidity and nonplanar structure of the polymer chain, and the bulkiness of methyl groups make chain packing inefficient, resulting in increases in both diffusion and solubility coefficients of the gases. Polyimides from tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine and trimethyl-m-phenylenediamine display very high permeability coefficients and very low permselectivity due to very high diffusion coefficients and very low diffusivity selectivity, as compared with the other polyimides having a similar fraction of free space. This suggests that these polyimides have high fractions of large-size free spaces.     

Gas transport properties of soluble poly(phenylene sulfone imide)s

Gas transport of helium, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, oxygen, argon, nitrogen, and methane in three soluble poly(phenylene sulfone imide)s based on 2,2-bis(3,4-decarboxyphenyl) hexafluoropropane dianhydride (6FDA) has been investigated. The effects of increasing length of well-defined oligo(phenylene sulfone) units on the gas permeabilities and diffusivities were determined and correlated with chain packing of the polymers. Activation energies of diffusion and permeation were calculated from temperature-dependent time-lag measurements. The influences of the central group in the diamine moiety of 6FDA-based polyimides on physical and gas transport properties are discussed. The incorporation of a long oligo(phenylene sulfone) segment in the polymer backbone decreases gas permeability and permselectivity simultaneously. The decreases in permeability coefficients can be mainly related to decreases in diffusion coefficients. Changing the central group of diamine moiety from  S to  SO₂ leads to a 45–50% decrease in CO₂ and O₂ permeabilities without appreciable increase in the selectivities. This is considered to be due to the formation of charge transfer complexes. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 35: 1855–1868, 1997     

Synthesis and properties of polyimides from thianthrene-2,3,7,8-tetracarboxylic dianhydride-5,5,10,10-tetraoxide

Thianthrene - 2,3,7,8 - tetracarboxylic dianhydride - 5,5,10,10 - tetraoxide (TADATO), a dianhydride having two sulfonyls between two phenyl rings, was synthesized and polymerized with several diamines by a two-step method. Tough polyimide membranes were obtained with flexible diamines but not with rigid diamines. Most of TADATO-based polyimides are soluble in polar solvents such as N,N-dimethylacetamide and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. IR study confirmed that almost complete imidization of TADATO-based poly(amic acid) membranes could be achieved by thermal treatment at 100, 200, and 300°C for each 1 h. In a series of polyimides based on 4,4′-oxydianiline, the polyimide from TADATO showed higher gas permeability coefficient of CO₂ and higher selectivities of CO₂/N₂ and CO₂/CH₄ than those of polyimides from pyromellitic dianhydride and 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride, and was comparable to that from 2,2-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl) hexafluoropropane dianhydride. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36 : 485–494, 1998     

Intrinsically microporous polyimides containing spirobisindane and phenazine units: Synthesis,characterization and gas permeation properties

A new diamine containing spirobisindane and phenazine units, namely, 3,3,3′,3′‐tetramethyl‐2,2′,3,3′‐tetrahydro‐1,1′‐spirobi[cyclopenta[b]phenazine]‐7,7′‐diamine (TTSBIDA) was synthesized starting from commercially available 5,5′,6,6′‐tetrahydroxy‐3,3,3′,3′‐tetramethyl‐1,1′‐spirobisindane (TTSBI). TTSBI was oxidized to 3,3,3′,3′‐tetramethyl‐2,2′,3,3′‐tetrahydro‐1,1′‐spirobi[indene]‐5,5′,6,6′‐tetraone (TTSBIQ) which was subsequently condensed with 4‐nitro‐1,2‐phenylenediamine to obtain 3,3,3′,3′‐tetramethyl‐7,7′‐dinitro‐2,2′,3,3′‐tetrahydro‐1,1′‐spirobi[cyclopenta[b]phenazine] (TTSBIDN). TTSBIDN was converted into TTSBIDA by reduction of the nitro groups using hydrazine hydrate in the presence of Pd/C as the catalyst. A series of new polyimides of intrinsic microporosity (PIM‐PIs) were synthesized by polycondensation of TTSBIDA with commercially available aromatic dianhydrides. PIM‐PIs exhibited amorphous nature, high thermal stability (T₁₀ > 480 °C) and intrinsic microporosity (BET surface area = 59–289 m²/g). The gas permeation characteristics of films of selected PIM‐PIs were evaluated and they exhibited appreciable gas permeability as well as high selectivity. The CO₂ and O₂ permeability of PIM‐PIs were in the range 185.4–39.2 and 30.6–6.2 Barrer, respectively. Notably, polyimide derived from TTSBIDA and 4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride (PIM‐PI‐6FDA) exhibited high CO₂ and O₂ permeability of 185.4 and 30.6 Barrer with CO₂/CH₄ and O₂/N₂ selectivity of 43.1 and 5.1, respectively. The data of PIM‐PI‐6FDA for CO₂/CH₄ and O₂/N₂ gas pairs were located near Robeson upper bound. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2018 , 56, 766–775     

Molecularly Engineered 6FDA-Based Polyimide Membranes for Sour Natural Gas Separation

Glassy polyimide membranes are attractive for industrial applications in sour natural gas purification. Unfortunately, the lack of fundamental understanding of relationships between polyimide chemical structures and their gas transport properties in the presence of H₂S constrains the design and engineering of advanced membranes for such challenging applications. Herein, 6FDA-based polyimide membranes with engineered structures were synthesized to tune their CO₂/CH₄ and H₂S/CH₄ separation performances and plasticization properties. Under ternary mixed sour gas feeds, controlling polymer chain packing and plasticization tendency of such polyimide membranes via tuning the chemical structures were found to offer better combined H₂S and CO₂ removal efficiency compared to conventional polymers. Fundamental insights into structure–property relationships of 6FDA-based polyimide membranes observed in this study offer guidance for next generation membranes for sour natural gas separation.     

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 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.     

Polyimide structure–property relationships. II. Polymers from isomeric diamines

An extensive study of the effects of stereoisomeric variations in aromatic polyimide structures on polyimide properties was conducted. The structural variations were incorporated into the polyimides through the use of two complete series of isomeric aromatic diamine monomers, the diaminodiphenylmethanes and the diaminobenzophenones, as well as several pairs of diamine isomers. The ability of the diamines to polymerize was related to the basicities, and thus reactivities, of the amino groups. Diamines with an amino group located ortho to the group connecting the two aromatic rings were successfully polymerized with dianhydrides for the first time to high molecular weight poly(amic acids). The stereoisomeric polyimides were characterized by determining the glass transition temperatures T_g, mechanical properties, and thermooxidative stabilities of thin films of the polymers. The polymers prepared from p-diamines were shown to have the highest softening points and thus, the most rigid molecular structures. Those synthesized from m-diamines had the lowest T_g values, inferring the most flexible molecular backbone. With limited exceptions, the use of diamines with ortho-oriented amine groups failed to improve the flexibility of the polyimides since their T_g values were usually as high as those of polymers made from p-diamines. Only slight differences in mechanical properties of the isomeric polyimide films were attributable to the variations in isomeric structure, except for those properties dependent upon T_g changes, such as elevated temperature mechanical properties. A study of the thermooxidative stability of the polyimides showed little difference between the polymers prepared from the diaminobenzophenones, but marked differences were observed between the individual members of the diaminodiphenylmethane-derived polyimides.     

Preparation and properties of novel soluble aromatic polyimides from 4,4′-diaminotriphenylamine and aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides

New aromatic polyimides containing triphenylamine unit were prepared by two different methods, i.e., a conventional two-step method starting from 4,4′-diaminotriphenylamine and aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides and the one-step thioanhydride method starting from the aromatic diamine and aromatic tetracarboxylic dithioanhydrides. Both procedures yielded high-molecular-weight polyimides with inherent viscosities of 0.47–1.17 dL/g. Some of these polymers were soluble in organic solvents such as N,N-dimethylacetamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, m-cresol, and pyridine. All the polyimides afforded transparent, flexible, and tough films, and the color varied from pale yellow to dark red, depending markedly on the tetracarboxylic acid components. The glass transition temperatures (T_gs) of these polyimides were in the range of 287–331°C and the 10% weight loss temperatures were above 520°C in air. The polyimides prepared by the one-step method exhibited better solubility in organic solvents and had somewhat lower T_gs than the polymers prepared by a conventional two-step method.     

Synthesis and properties of polyimides derived from 1,7-bis(4-aminophenoxy)naphthalene and aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides

The novel diamine, 1,7-bis(4-aminophenoxy)naphthalene (1,7-BAPON), was synthesized and used to prepared polyimides. 1,7-BAPON was synthesized through the nucleophilic displacement of 1,7-dihydroxynaphthalene with p-fluoronitrobenzene in the presence of K₂CO₃ followed by catalytic-reduction. Polyimides were prepared from 1,7-BAPON and various aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides by the usual two-step procedure that included ring-opening polyaddition to give poly(amic acid)s, followed by cyclodehydration to polyimides. The poly(amic acid)s had inherent viscosities of 0.74-2.48 dL/g. Most of the polyimides formed tough, creasible films. These polyimides had glass transition temperatures between 247–278°C and their 10% weight loss temperatures were recorded in the range of 515–575°C in nitrogen atmosphere. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Syntheses and properties of aromatic polyamides and polyimides derived from 9,9-bis[4-(p-aminophenoxy)phenyl]fluorene

9,9-Bis[4-(p-aminophenoxy)phenyl]fluorene ( 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 9,9-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)fluorene with p-chloronitrobenzene in the presence of K₂CO₃ and then hydro-reduced. Polyamides IV _a-g having inherent viscosities of 0.73–1.39 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, N,N-dimethylformamide, dimethylsulfoxide, and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. 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 283–309°C and 10% weight loss occurred up to 460°C. The polyimides were synthesized from diamine II and various aromatic dianhydrides via the two-stage procedure that included ring-opening poly-addition in DMAc to give poly(amic acid)s, followed by thermal or chemical conversion to polyimides. The poly(amic acid)s had inherent viscosities of 0.62–1.78 dL/g, depending on the dianhydrides. Most of the aromatic polyimides obtained by chemical cyclization were found to be soluble in NMP. These polyimides showed almost no weight loss up to 500°C in air or nitrogen atmosphere. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Chemical structure-transport behavior relationship for polyimides and copolyimides based on rigid and flexible dianhydrides

Gas-separation membrane characteristics of a number of new polyimides containing common dianhydride and diamine moieties, including two copolymers of the regular structure, have been investigated. The densities of polymer films have been measured, and the permeability and diffusion coefficients of H₂, CO, CO₂, and CH₄ gases have been estimated. The values of free volume, solubility coefficients of these gases, and selectivities of gas separation have been determined. The transport parameters of polyimides depend on the combination of rigid and flexible dianhydride and diamine fragments. The combination of rigid dianhydride fragments with rigid diamine moieties and of flexible dianhydride fragments with symmetric flexible diamine moieties is the most promising for membrane applications.     

Synthesis and gas transport properties of random amide imide copolymers

Fully imidized random amide imide copolymers (rPAI) can be prepared in an aprotic solvent from trimellitic anhydride chloride (TMAc) and mixtures of various aromatic diamines via condensation polymerization. The polymers are soluble in a number of aprotic organic solvents including 1‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone (NMP), N,N‐dimethylacetamide (DMAc), N,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF), and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO). The gas transport properties of the rPAI materials are governed by the local structure around both the amide and imide linkages and can be tuned by the choice and ratio of diamines used. Significant improvement in selectivity relative to polyimides can be achieved. When inorganic carbonate salts are used to scavenge byproduct hydrogen chloride, the amount of residual salt in the dense films has a substantial effect on their gas transport properties. A fugitive salt process was identified, which eliminated this problem of residual inorganic salts. The activation energy for O₂, N₂, He, CO₂, and CH₄ permeability was determined for one of the copolymers. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 1951–1965, 2000     

Transport properties of polyimides containing phenylquinoxaline moieties

The gas permeabilities of a number of new structurally related polyimides containing phenylquinoxaline moieties were studied for the first time. The test polymers had different dianhydride units, whereas their diamine components differed in the presence of flexible ether bonds-O-in the main chain, a structure that is reflected in the effective packing of chains and, as a result, in transport parameters. The permeability, diffusion, and solubility coefficients for the gases H₂, He, O₂, N₂, CO, CO₂, and CH₄, as well as the ideal separation factors for gas pairs, were determined. The transport characteristics of polymers were compared within the given polymer series and with published data for other polymer series.     

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.     

Synthesis and properties of polyimides derived from 1,4-bis(4-aminophenoxy)2,5-di-tert-butylbenzene

Novel aromatic polyimides containing symmetric, bulky di-tert-butyl substituents unit were synthesized from 1,4-bis(4-aminophenoxy)2,5-di-tert-butylbenzene (BADTB) and various aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides by the conventional two-stage procedure that included ring-opening polyaddition in a polar solvent such as N,N-dimethylacetamide to give poly(amic acid)s, followed by cyclodehydration to polyimides. The diamine was prepared through the nucleophilic displacement of 2,5-di-tert-butylhydroquinone with p-chloronitrobenzene in the presence of K₂CO₃, followed by catalytic reduction. Depending on the dianhydrides used, the poly(amic acid)s obtained had inherent viscosities of 0.83–1.88 dL g⁻¹. Most of the polyimides formed transparent, flexible, and tough films. Tensile strength and elongation at break of the BADTB-based polyimide films ranged from 68–93 MPa and 7–11%, respectively. The polyimide derived from 4,4′-hexafluoro-isopropylidenebisphathalic anhydride had better solubility than the other polyimides. These polyimides had glass transition temperatures between 242–298°C and 10% mass loss temperatures were recorded in the range of 481–520°C in nitrogen. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35: 1527–1534, 1997     

Gas‐transport properties of indan‐containing polyimides

A series of indan‐containing polyimides were synthesized, and their gas‐permeation behavior was characterized. The four polyimides used in this study were synthesized from an indan‐containing diamine [5,7‐diamino‐1,1,4,6‐tetramethylindan (DAI)] with four dianhydrides [3,3′4,4′‐benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA), 3,3′4,4′‐oxydiphthalic dianhydride (ODPA), (3,3′4,4′‐biphenyl tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA), and 2,2′‐bis(3,4′‐dicarboxyphenyl) hexafluoropropane dianhydride (6FDA)]. The gas‐permeability coefficients of these four polyimides changed in the following order: DAI–BTDA < DAI–ODPA < DAI–BPDA < DAI–6FDA. This was consistent with the increasing order of the fraction of free volume (FFV). Moreover, the gas‐permeability coefficients were almost doubled from DAI–ODPA to DAI–BPDA and from DAI–BPDA to DAI–6FDA, although the FFV differences between the two polyimides were very small. The gas permeability and diffusivity of these indan‐containing polyimides increased with temperature, whereas the permselectivity and diffusion selectivity decreased. The activation energies for the permeation and diffusion of O₂, N₂, CH₄, and CO₂ were estimated. In comparison with the gas‐permeation behavior of other indan‐containing polymers, for these polyimides, very good gas‐permeation performance was found, that is, high gas‐permeability coefficients and reasonably high permselectivity. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2769–2779, 2004     

Structure/permeability relationships of polyimide membranes. Applications to the separation of gas mixtures

The permeability of nine different polyimide membranes to H₂, N₂, O₂, CH₄, and CO₂ has been determined at 35°C and at applied pressures of up to 9 atm. The dianhydride monomers used for the synthesis of the polymides were PMDA and 6FDA, whereas the diamine monomers were ODA, BDAF, and p-PDA. The selectivities of the 6FDA polymides toward CO₂ relative to CH₄ are higher than those of the PMDA polyimides at comparable CO₂ permeabilities. Both types of polyimides exhibit significantly higher CO₂/CH₄ selectivities than more common glassy polymers, such as cellulose acetate, polysulfone, and polycarbonate. The selectivities of the PMDA and 6FDA polyimides to O₂ relative to N₂ are of the same magnitude and generally higher than those of common glassy polymers with similar O₂ permeabilities. The polymides are more permeable to N₂ than to CH₄, whereas the opposite is true for many other glassy polymers. Possible factors responsible for the above behavior, such as segmental mobility, mean interchain distance, and formation of charge transfer complexes, are examined. The relevance of the study to the development of more highly gas-selective and permeable membranes for the separation of gas mixtures is also discussed.