Synthesis and Properties of Novel Thermal Stable Thermoplastic Poly(ester-imide-ether) Elastomers Based on N,N′-Bis(2-carboxyethyl)-3,3′,4,4′ Biphenyltetracarboxylimide Unit with Excellent Mechanical Properties

A series of thermoplastic poly(ester-imide-ether) (PEIE) elastomers, with different ratios of soft/hard segment 85/15, 80/20 and 70/30, were prepared from 1, 4-butanediol (BD), poly(tetramethylene glycol) (PTMG) and imide dicarboxylic acid monomer based on 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) and glycine (GLY). The chemical structures of the imide dicarboxylic acid and PEIEs were characterized by FT-IR and ¹H-NMR, respectively. The intrinsic viscosities, thermal properties and mechanical properties of these PEIEs were investigated. The results show that introduction of imide group endows the PEIEs with excellent thermal stability, the melting point of PEIEs at about 220°C, and the temperature of 5% weight loss appears at the range of 332–358°C. In addition, the mechanical properties of PEIEs are also improved with the increment of imide units, the maximum stress and strain reached to 17.15 MP and 1043.75%, respectively.