Dianhydride architectural effects on the relaxation behaviors and thermal and optical properties of organo-soluble aromatic polyimide films

Intrinsically Microporous Polyimides Derived from 2,2'-Dibromo-4,4',5,5'-bipohenyltetracarboxylic Dianhydride for Gas Separation Membranes

This work aims to expand the structure-property relationships of bromo-containing polyimides and the influence of bromine atoms on the gas separation properties of such materials. A series of intrinsically microporous polyimides were synthesized from 2,2'-dibromo-4,4',5,5'-bipohenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (Br-BPDA) and five bulky diamines, (7,7'-(mesitylmethylene)bis(8-methyldibenzo[b,e][1,4]dioxin-2-amine) (MMBMA), 7,7'-(Mesitylmethylene)bis(1,8-dimethyldibenzo[b,e][1,4] dioxin-2-amine) (MMBDA), 4,10-dimethyl-6H,12H-5,11-methanodibenzo[b,f][1,5]diazocine-2,8-diamine (TBDA1), 4,10-dimethyl-6H,12H-5,11-methanodibenzo[b,f][1,5]diazocine-3,9-diamine (TBDA2), and (9R,10R)-9,10-dihydro-9,10-[1,2]benzenoanthracene-2,6-diamine (DAT). The Br-BPDA-derived polyimides exhibited excellent solubility, high thermal stability, and good mechanical properties, with their tensile strength and modulus being 59.2-109.3 MPa and 1.8-2.2 GPa, respectively. The fractional free volumes (FFVs) and surface areas (SBET) of the Br-BPDA-derived polyimides were in the range of 0.169-0.216 and 211-342 m2 g-1, following the order of MMBDA > MMBMA > TBDA2 > DAT > TBDA1, wherein the Br-BPDA-MMBDA exhibited the highest SBET and FFV and thus highest CO2 permeability of 724.5 Barrer. Moreover, Br-BPDA-DAT displayed the best gas separation performance, with CO2, H2, O2, N2, and CH4 permeabilities of 349.8, 384.4, 69.8, 16.3, and 19.7 Barrer, and H2/N2 selectivity of 21.4. This can be ascribed to the ultra-micropores (<0.7 nm) caused by the high rigidity of Br-BPDA-DAT. In addition, all the bromo-containing polymers of intrinsic microporosity membranes exhibited excellent resistance to physical ageing.

Resin Transfer Moldable Fluorinated Phenylethynyl-Terminated Imide Oligomers with High Tg: Structure-Melt Stability Relationship

Phenylethynyl-terminated aromatic polyimides meet requirements of resin transfer molding (RTM) and exhibits high glass transition temperature (T_g) were prepared. Moreover, the relationship between the polyimide backbones structure and their melting stability was investigated. The phenylethynyl-terminated polyimides were based on 4,4′-(hexafluorosiopropylidene)-diphthalic anhydride (6FDA) and different diamines of 3,4′-oxydianiline (3,4′-ODA), m-phenylenediamine (m-PDA) and 2,2′-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzidine (TFDB) were prepared. These oligoimides exhibit excellent melting flowability with wide processing temperature window and low minimum melt viscosities (<1 Pa·s). Two of the oligoimides display good melting stability at 280–290 °C, which meet the requirements of resin transfer molding (RTM) process. After thermally cured, all resins show high glass transition temperatures (T_gs, 363–391 °C) and good tensile strength (51–66 MPa). The cure kinetics studied by the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (¹³C NMR) characterization and density functional theory (DFT) definitely confirmed that the electron-withdrawing ability of oligoimide backbone can tremendously affect the curing reactivity of terminated phenylethynyl groups. The replacement of 3,4′-ODA units by m-PDA or TFDB units increase the electron-withdrawing ability of the backbone, which increase the curing rate of terminated phenylethynyl groups at processing temperatures, hence results in the worse melting stability.

Study on the Influence of Different Ether Bonds on PAI Materials Properties

In this paper, diamine monomers with ether bonds in the main chain are selected for molecular structure design, and four polyamide-imide (PAI) materials are prepared by the acyl chloride method. A diamine monomer containing an ether group can reduce the friction coefficient and improve the wear performance of PAI material. The wear mechanism of PAI material can also change due to ether linkages. PAI synthesized using m-phenylenediamine without an ether bond has the highest friction coefficient and abrasion loss, and the wear mechanism is mainly adhesive wear. With the increase of the number of ether bonds in the diamine monomer structure, the friction coefficient of the material decreases from 0.5445 to 0.4216 (22.57 %). The abrasion loss of the PAI material synthesized using 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl ether is the smallest, which is 84.4 % lower than m-phenylenediamine. The wear mechanism is abrasive wear and slight adhesion wear. With the increase of the number of ether bonds, the heat r esistance of PAI decreases slightly, while the hydrophobic property increases and the water absorption decreases. To summarise, PAI material synthesized using 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl ether has a low friction coefficient, the best wear resistance, the highest tensile strength and elongation at break, and the best comprehensive properties of the materials reported here.

Structure and properties of BPDA/PDA polyimide fibers

Polyimide/graphene (PI/G) composite fibers containing p-phenylenediamine ( p-PDA), 3,3′,4,4′-Biphenyl tetracarboxylic diandhydride (BPDA) and graphene (G) were prepared by wet spinning and thermal imidization. The mechanical properties, thermal stability, orientation factor and morphology of PI/G composite fibers were characterized and studied. Within the scope of the study, the tensile strength and tensile modulus of the fibers increased first and then decreased with the increase of the graphene content. Moreover, the glass transition temperature and thermal decomposition temperature of the PI/G composite fibers increased with the increased of the graphene content. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the degree of orientation of the of prepared fibers increase firstly and then decrease with the content of graphene increasing. SEM indicated that graphene was dispersed evenly in the PI/G composite fibers and graphene had satisfactory compatibility with PI matrix.

Synthesis and properties of colorless polyamide films with high thermal resistance and dimensional stability

Polyamides (PAs) based on terephthaloyl chloride and a series of aromatic diamines were synthesized; PA films were prepared by solution casting without mechanical stretching to produce high-performance films with good optical transparency and dimensional stability. The PA films displayed high heat resistance with glass transition temperatures ( Tg) of 342–399°C. Good mechanical properties were obtained with tensile modulus and strength up to 5.38 GPa and 195.4 MPa, respectively. Coefficient of thermal expansion of the as-cast PA films achieved to an ultralow value of 8.3 ppm °C−1 and could be tailored in a wide range as a function of the macromolecular composition. The series of PA films showed a transparent and colorless feature, with the cutoff wavelength in the range of 355–365 nm. The data were discussed from the perspective of structure–property relationship, may give helpful knowledge for the topic of PA chemistry, and this method could provide an alternative for the production of high-performance colorless polymer films.

Toward Improved Optical Transparency of Polyimide Aerogels

Highly translucent polyimide aerogels were prepared by combining equimolar amounts of pyromellitic dianhydride, 4,4'-hexafluoroisopropylidene di(phthalic anhydride) (6FDA), and 2,2'-dimethylbenzidine and cross-linking with 1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl trichloride. A multivariable statistical design of experiments was used to perform a comparison study between three variables used to fabricate the aerogels: formulated repeat unit (n) of polyimide oligomers, 6FDA fraction of total dianhydride (0-50 mol %), and total polymer concentration in solution (7-10 wt %). Polymers with 25 mol % 6FDA in the backbone structure were found to produce polyimide aerogels with high optical transmission and low haze. These aerogels also possessed higher surface areas and very narrow nanoscale pore size distribution. Because of the decreased thermal conductivity with increasing amount of 6FDA in the backbone, these aerogels may find use where the combination of high optical transparency and thermal impedance is desired, such as insulated window panes. To this end, future efforts will focus on reducing the yellow color of the polyimide aerogels.

Relaxation Dynamics of Thin Matrimid 5218 Films in Organic Solvents

Polyimides are interesting polymer materials for organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) applications because of their high excess free volume and high chemical and temperature resistance. However, an open challenge that remains for glassy polymer materials (i.e., polyimides) is their tendency to swell in organic solvents which can lead to a loss of performance. An understanding on how swelling influences the polymer properties and performance is then of crucial importance for assessing polyimide suitability in OSN applications. Here, the combination of in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry (iSE), broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS), and diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (DRIFT-FTIR) is applied to study the molecular interaction of two organic penetrants, toluene and n-hexane, with Matrimid 5218 in detail. iSE shows that slightly cross-linked Matrimid 5218 swells approximately seven times more in toluene (swelling degree ≈ 28%) compared to in n-hexane (swelling degree ≈ 4%). Combined BDS and DRIFT-FTIR results indicate that toluene interacts with the benzene ring present in the diamine via π–π interactions, while n-hexane likely fills up the excess free volume and interacts via local van der Waals interactions. This work highlights the insights into the exact nature of the molecular interactions between the penetrant and polymer that can be gained from a combination of BDS and other techniques and how these insights can be used to estimate or understand solvent-induced swelling of polymers used in OSN applications.

Colorless and Transparent Copolyimides and Their Nanocomposites: Thermo-Optical Properties, Morphologies, and Gas Permeabilities

A series of linear aromatic copolyimides (Co-PIs) were synthesized by reacting 4,4′-biphthalic anhydride (BPA) with various molar contents of 2,2′-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzidine (TFB) and p-xylylenediamine (p-XDA) in N,N′-dimethylacetamide (DMAc). Co-PI films were fabricated by solution casting and thermal imidization with poly(amic acid) (PAA) on glass plates. The thermo-optical properties and gas permeabilities of Co-PI films composed of various molar ratios of p-XDA (0.2–1.0 relative to BPA) were investigated. Thermal properties were observed to deteriorate with increasing p-XDA concentration. However, oxygen-transmission rates (O₂TRs) and optical transparencies improved with increasing p-XDA concentration. Co-PI hybrids with a 1:0.2:0.8 molar ratio of BPA:TFB:p-XDA and organically modified hectorite (STN) were prepared by the in situ intercalation method. The morphologies and the thermo-optical and gas permeation properties of the hybrids were examined as functions of STN loading (5–50 wt %). XRD and TEM revealed substantial increases in clay particle agglomeration in the Co-PI hybrid films as the clay loading was increased from 5 to 50 wt %. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and the O₂TR of a Co-PI hybrid film were observed to improve with increasing STN concentration; however, its optical transparency decreased gradually with increasing STN concentration.

Highly Transparent Polyethylcyanoacrylates from Approved Eco-Friendly Fragrance Materials Demonstrating Excellent Fog-Harvesting and Anti-Wear Properties

Superglue monomers belong to a family of cyanoacrylates that are known for their very rapid polymerization upon contact with moist surfaces. Their biodegradation and low toxicity make them attractive as medical and veterinary adhesives. Although the fast-acting polymerization characteristics have been successfully utilized to design nanoscale polymeric particles that can carry drugs or other inorganic nanoparticles, it constitutes a significant drawback if one desires to produce other forms of functional biodegradable acrylics, such as coatings, sheets, or nanocomposites. This is because rapid polymerization in air creates highly porous and brittle structures. Here, we address this drawback by reporting a simple and inexpensive method of fabricating highly transparent (>92%) polyethylcyanoacrylate (PECA) coatings by dispersing the monomer in a fragrance-classified green liquid, cyclopentanone. The resulting transparent coatings were hydrophilic but with slippery wetting characteristics, suitable as efficient fog-harvesting templates. Furthermore, another fragrance liquid, benzyl alcohol, is introduced as a plasticizer and co-solvent to overcome its brittleness while retaining its transparency. The same plasticized monomer solutions, dispersing low concentrations of graphene (<0.5 wt %), were allowed to self-assemble on stainless steel surfaces, forming low-friction and anti-wear dry lubricants by decreasing the steel friction coefficient and wear rate by 6- and 10-fold, respectively.

Preparation and properties of highly organosoluble polyimides derived from 2,2′-disubstituted-4,4′-oxydianilines

Four novel aromatic, symmetrical ether diamines (2,2′-bis(biphenyl)-4,4′-oxydianiline, 2,2′-bis[4′-(3″,4″,5″-trifluorophenyl)phenyl]-4,4′-oxydianiline, 2,2′-bis[4-(naphthalene-1-yl)phenyl]-4,4′-oxydianiline, and 2,2′-bis[4″-(diphenylamino)phenyl]-4,4′-oxydianiline), were successfully synthesized through four steps using p-chloronitrobenzene as a starting material. Highly organosoluble polyimides were obtained by the reaction of these diamines with 2′2 ′-bis[4′-(3″,4″,5″-trifluorophenyl)phenyl]-4,4′,5,5′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride via a conventional two-step chemical imidization method. All the polyimides were thoroughly characterized by Fourier transform infrared, ultraviolet, fluorescence, gel permeation chromatography, and thermogravimetric analysis. The effect of the fluorine atoms directly linked to the lateral phenyl rings showed excellent dissolution and strong fluorescence. The polyimides exhibited excellent thermal stability, with decomposition temperatures (at 10% weight loss) above 530°C and glass transition temperatures in the range of 258–320°C. These outstanding combined features ensured that these polyimides could be used as memory materials for advanced microelectronic applications.

Molecular Design of Soluble Biopolyimide with High Rigidity

New soluble biopolyimides were prepared from a diamine derived from an exotic amino acid (4-aminocinnamic acid) with several kinds of tetracarboxylic dianhydride. The biopolyimide molecular structural flexibility was tailored by modifying the tetracarboxylic dianhydride moiety. The obtained polyimides were soluble in various solvents such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N,N-dimethylacetamide, N,N-dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, and even tetrahydrofuran. It was observed that the biopolyimide solubility was greatly dependent upon the structural flexibility (torsion energy). Flexible structure facilitated greater solubility. The synthesized biopolyimides were largely amorphous and had number-average molecular weight (M_n) in the range (5–8) × 10⁵. The glass transition temperatures (T_g) of the polymers ranged from 259–294 °C. These polymers exhibited good thermal stability without significant weight loss up to 410 °C. The temperatures at 10% weight loss (T_d10) for synthesized biopolyimide ranged from 375–397 °C.

Understanding the Effect of the Dianhydride Structure on the Properties of Semiaromatic Polyimides Containing a Biobased Fatty Diamine

In this work we report the effect of the hard block dianhydride structure on the overall properties of partially biobased semiaromatic polyimides. For the study, four polyimides were synthesized using aliphatic fatty dimer diamine (DD1) as the soft block and four different commercially available aromatic dianhydrides as the hard block: 4,4'-(4,4'-isopropylidenediphenoxy) bis(phthalic anhydride) (BPADA), 4,4'-oxidiphthalic anhydride (ODPA), 4,4'-(Hexafluoroisopropylidene) diphthalic anhydride (6FDA), and 3,3',4,4'-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA). The polymers synthesized were fully organo-soluble thermoplastic branched polyimides with glass transition temperatures close to room temperature. The detailed analysis took into account several aspects of the dianhydrides structure (planarity, rigidity, bridging group between the phtalimides, and electronic properties) and related them to the results obtained by differential scanning calorimetry, rheology, fluorescence and broadband dielectric spectroscopy. Moreover, the effects of physical parameters (crystallization and electronic interactions) on the relaxation behavior are discussed. Despite the presence of the bulky branched soft block given by the dimer diamine, all polyimides showed intermolecular charge transfer complexes, whose extent depends on the electronic properties of the dianhydride hard block. Furthermore, the results showed that polyimides containing flexible and bulky hard blocks turned out fully amorphous while the more rigid dianhydride (BPDA) led to a nanophase separated morphology with low degree of crystallinity resulting in constrained segmental relaxation with high effect on its mechanical response with the annealing time. This work represents the first detailed report on the development and characterization of polyimides based on a biobased fatty dimer diamine. The results highlight the potential of polymer property design by controlled engineering of the aromatic dianhydride blocks.

Thermal rearrangement of ortho-allyloxypolyimide membranes and the effect of the degree of functionalization

Aromatic polyimides containing different ratios of ortho-hydroxy to ortho-allyloxy units were prepared and thermally rearranged.

Synthesis and Properties of Novel Aromatic Poly(esterimide)s Bearing Naphthalene-2,7-Diyl Units

Two series of 2,7-naphthalenediyl units-containing homoand copoly(ester imide)s were prepared from 2,7-bis(4-aminobenzoyloxy)naphthalene and 2,7-bis(3-aminobenzoyloxy)naphthalene, respectively, with six commercially available aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides and their mixtures via a conventional two-stage synthesis that included ring-opening polyaddition to give poly(amic acid)s followed by chemical imidization to polyimides. The intermediate poly(amic acid)s obtained in the first stage had inherent viscosities of 0.59∼1.15 and 0.51∼1.20 dL g-1, respectively. Some of the poly(ester imide)s derived from less rigid dianhydrides had excellent solubility in polar aprotic solvents such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and N,N-dimethylacetamide and could be solution-cast into transparent, flexible, and tough films. The poly(ester imide)s derived from rigid dianhydrides such as pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) were semicrystalline and showed less solubility. Except for some examples, most of the poly(ester imide)s displayed discernible glass-transition temperatures ( Tgs) between 233 and 295°C in the differential scanning calorimetry traces. These poly(ester imide)s showed insignificant decomposition below 450°C in nitrogen or air. The investigation of the thermal decomposition of the poly(ester imide)s using pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (pyrolysis-GC/MS) indicated that a dramatic breakage of the ester linkages occurred at around 450°C, which initiated the polymer chain scission.

Dielectric and gas transport properties of highly fluorinated polyimides blends

The physicochemical properties of highly fluorinated polyimide blends were studied in order to highlight the advantages of employing a high content of fluorine atoms to tailor the properties of polyimide materials. Thus, dynamo-mechanical analysis was used to evidence the physical phenomena taking place during heating. The trend of storage modulus, loss modulus and loss factor tangent with temperature during and after the α relaxation was explored. The dielectric spectroscopy was carried out to investigate the dielectric behaviour at different temperatures and frequencies and to evaluate the values of dielectric constant, dielectric loss and electrical resistance. The dielectric spectroscopy data were corroborated with the dynamo-mechanical analysis to highlight the sub-glass transitions encountered in these blend films. Dielectric loss diagrams showed sub-glass transitions in the form of γ and β relaxations mainly due to the segmental mobility of the polymer chain components. The gas separation performance of some of the investigated blends was assesed, and their ability to achieve simultaneously higher gas permeability and higher selectivity was demonstrated.

Synthesis and characterization of thermally stable polyimides with a pendent phenothiazine unit based on new diamine 10-(3,5-diaminobenzoyl)phenothiazine

A novel diamine 10-(3,5-diaminobenzoyl)phenothiazine (DBPT) with a side chain containing phenothiazine unit was synthesized. A new family of polyimides (PIs) containing phenothiazine unit in the side chains has been successfully synthesized by direct polycondensation of DBPT with pyromellitic dianhydride, 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenone tertacarboxylic dianhydride, and 4,4′-oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODA) via a conventional two-step chemical imidization process. The yield of polymers was good enough, which were soluble in most organic solvents. The molecular orbital energy gaps, thermal stability, and crystallinity of PIs were investigated by molecular modeling, thermogravimetric analysis, and wide-angle X-ray scattering, respectively. Thermal properties of polymers were good enough to permit the use of these PIs in various applications; only 49% weight loss is detected at 900°C in nitrogen atmosphere. X-Ray diffraction clearly reveals the amorphous nature of PIs. A quantum modeling study (density functional theory) has shown the influence of dianhydride structure on the energy difference of highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy levels.

Properties of some azo-copolyimide thin films used in the formation of photoinduced surface relief gratings

The patterning of the free standing azo-copolyimide films under different irradiation conditions led to the uniform surface relief gratings.

Interactions between nanostructured calcium hydroxide and acrylate copolymers: implications in cultural heritage conservation

The interactions between an acrylic copolymer, poly ethylmethacrylate/methylacrylate (70:30) (Poly(EMA/MA), and Ca(OH)2 nanoparticles were investigated in order to establish the reciprocal influence of these two compounds on their peculiar properties. The carbonation kinetics of Ca(OH)2 nanoparticles by atmospheric CO2 was investigated by FTIR and SEM measurements and compared to that of a nanocomposite film. CaCO3 formation occurred even in the presence of the copolymer, but only after an induction period of ca. 200 h and with a lower reaction rate. Some implications in cultural heritage conservation dealing with application of nanolime on artifacts previously treated with acrylic copolymers were discussed. Contact angle measurements, mechanical cohesion properties, and water vapor permeability allowed us to conclude that the optimum behavior of nanolime with respect to transpiration was not compromised by the presence of the copolymer, and the behavior in terms of mechanical properties recovery by the application of Ca(OH)2 nanoparticles remained excellent even in the presence of poly(EMA/MA).

Synthesis of Poly(cyclohexene oxide)-Montmorillonite Nanocomposite viaIn SituPhotoinitiated Cationic Polymerization with Bifunctional Clay

Poly(cyclohexene oxide) (PCHO)/clay nanocomposites were prepared by means ofin situ photoinitiated cationic polymerizationwith initiator moieties immobilized within the silicate galleries of the clay particles. Diphenyliodonium molecules were intercalated via cation exchange process between Cloisite Ca and diphenyliodonium. The polymerization of CHO through the interlayer galleries of the clay can provide a homogenous distribution of the clay layers in the polymer matrix in nanosize and results in the formation of PCHO/clay nanocomposites. The rates of clay loadings were changed to 1%, 3%, and 5% so as to investigate the effect of clay and initiator amount on polymer. X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods were used for the characterization of modified clay and nanocomposite materials. Thermal stability of PCHO/MMT nanocomposites was also studied by both differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA).