| Abstract: | New polyamides were prepared directly from a diamine, bis4‐(2‐trifluoromethyl 4‐aminophenoxy)phenyl] diphenylmethane, containing an electron‐withdrawing trifluoromethyl group and a kink diphenylmethylene linkage with various aromatic dicarboxylic acids having inherent viscosities ranging from 0.66 to 0.83 dL g?1. All the polyamides showed outstanding solubility and could be easily dissolved in amide‐type polar aprotic solvents (e.g., N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone, N,N‐dimethylacetamide, and N,N‐dimethylformamide) and even dissolved in less polar solvents (e.g., pyridine, cyclohexanone, and tetrahydrofuran). The dielectric constants of the polyamide films were 3.37–3.87 (100 KHz) and decreased with an increase in the frequency, which ranged from 1 Hz to 100 KHz. A low coefficient of thermal expansion for the polyamides was observed in the range of 54–78 ppm/°C (by thermomechanical analysis). These polyamides showed excellent thermal stability, and the 10% weight loss temperatures were in the range of 484–507 °C in an atmosphere of nitrogen. The polymers had an initial modulus of 1.8–2.2 GPa. The polyamides with kink and electron‐withdrawing trifluoromethyl units afforded light‐color polymer films with high transmittance in the visible region (400–700 nm), and their cutoff wavelength was lower than 362 nm. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 4559–4569, 2005 |
