The effects of long and bulky aromatic pendent groups with flexible linkages on the thermal, mechanical and electrical properties of the polyimides and their nanocomposites with functionalized silica

A novel diamine bis(4-aminophenyl)bis{3,4[(4-(8-quinolyloxymethyl carbonyl)]}methane, containing two long/bulky aromatic pendent chains was synthesized by incorporating aromatic and hetero aromatic groups with flexible linkages. Flexible, stretchable, thermally stable and processable polyimides were prepared by reacting this newly synthesized diamine with commercial tetracarboxylic acid dianhydrides like 3,3',4,4'-benzophenone tetra carboxylic acid dianhydride (BTDA) and 4,4'-(4,4'-isopropylidenediphenoxy)diphthalic Anhydride (BPADA). Nanocomposites of polyimides were prepared using aromatic amine functionalized silica as a filler by solution casting method. The current work investigates the effects of incorporating long/bulky aromatic side chains and flexible linkages on the thermal, mechanical, electrical and optical properties of the polyimides and nanocomposites. The polyimides showed good thermal stability (T 10% = 364 & 388), high flame resistance, low glass transition temperatures (T g = 130 °C & 156 °C), very low dielectric constants (2.5 & 2.8 at 1 MHz) and good optical transparency. The neat polyimides displayed good elongation at break (133-155%) but possessed low tensile strength. The chemically imidized polyimides showed good solubility in low and high boiling solvents. Nanocomposites of polyimides based on aromatic amine functionalized silica exhibited enhanced properties with T 10% values varying between 409-482 °C, T g between 165-280 °C and higher dielectric constants (3-5.7 at 1 MHz).

Fluorine in the structure of polymers: influence on the gas separation properties

Results of studies on the separation of gases and vapours using fluorine-containing polymers are integrated and analyzed. Methods for the synthesis of these polymers are considered, including direct gas-phase fluorination, plasma polymerization of fluorine-containing precursors and modification of organic polymers, as well as diverse syntheses of monomers containing C−F and C−CF3 bonds and their subsequent polymerization. Structure – property relationships for these polymers are elucidated and their actual and potential applications as membrane materials are discussed.

The bibliography includes 165 references.

Polyimides Containing Phosphaphenanthrene Skeleton: Gas-Transport Properties and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

A series of new semifluorinated polyimide (PI) films with phosphaphenanthrene skeleton were prepared by thermal imidization of poly(amic acid)s derived from a diamine monomer: 1,1-bis[2'-trifluoromethyl-4'-(4″-aminophenyl)phenoxy]-1-(6-oxido-6H-dibenz⟨c,e⟩⟨1,2⟩oxaphosphorin-6-yl)ethane on reaction with four structurally different aromatic dianhydrides. The chemical structures of the polymers were established by Fourier transform infrared and 1H NMR spectroscopy techniques. The polymers showed a good combination of thermal and mechanical properties (T d10 up to 416 °C under synthetic air and tensile strength up to 91 MPa), low dielectric constant (2.10-2.55 at 1 MHz), and T g values as high as 261 °C. Gas permeabilities of these films were investigated for four different gases CO2, O2, N2, and CH4. The PI films showed high gas permeability (P CO2 up to 175 and P O2 up to 64 barrer) with high permselectivity (P CO2 /P CH4 up to 51 and P O2 /P N2 up to 7.1), and the values are better than those of many other similar polymers reported earlier. For the O2/N2 gas pair, the PIs (PI A) surpassed the present upper boundary limit drawn by Robeson. A detailed molecular dynamics (MD) simulation study has been conducted to understand better the gas-transport properties. The effect of phosphaphenanthrene skeleton, its spatial arrangement, and size distribution function of the free volume were studied using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and the results are correlated with the experimental data.

Synthesis and properties of soluble aromatic polyimides from novel 4,5-diazafluorene-containing dianhydride

A dianhydride monomer containing 4,5-diazofluorene was synthesized, and the corresponding organo-soluble polyimides exhibited good comprehensive properties.

Design and synthesis of high heat-resistant, soluble, and hydrophobic fluorinated polyimides containing pyridine and trifluoromethylthiophenyl units

In this study, a novel diamine monomer, 4-(4-trifluoromethylthiophenyl)-2,6-bis(4-aminophenyl)pyridine (FTPAP) was synthesized through two-step reaction from 4-trifluoromethylthiobenzaldehyde and 4-nitroacetophenone as raw materials, and then the structure of FTPAP was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and mass spectrometry. A series of fluorinated polyimides were prepared from FTPAP with five commercial dianhydrides, namely, pyromellitic dianhydride, biphenyl tetracarboxylic dianhydride, oxydiphtahalic anhydride, benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride, and 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene) diphthalic anhydride. The structure and performance of the fluorinated polymers were fully characterized by FTIR, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD). The inherent viscosity of polymers ranged from 0.41 to 1.45 dL g−1. These polymers displayed good solubility in polar aprotic solvents, such as N, N-dimethylformamide, N, N-dimethylacetamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, at room temperature or on heating. Furthermore, they exhibited outstanding thermal stability with glass transition temperatures beyond 305°C, and the temperature of 10% weight loss was in the range of 514–573°C with more than 56% residue at 800°C under nitrogen. Moreover, they showed high optical transparency with the cutoff wavelengths in the range of 385–457 nm and excellent hydrophobic property with contact angle in the range of 82.8–97.6°. In addition, the results of WAXD indicated that all of the polymers presented amorphous structure.

Highly optical transparency and thermally stable polyimides containing pyridine and phenyl pendant

In order to obtain highly optical transparency polyimides, two novel aromatic diamine monomers containing pyridine and kinky structures, 1,1-bis[4-(5-amino-2-pyridinoxy)phenyl]diphenylmethane (BAPDBP) and 1,1-bis[4-(5-amino-2-pyridinoxy)phenyl]-1-phenylethane (BAPDAP), were designed and synthesized. Polyimides based on BAPDBP, BAPDAP, 2,2-bis[4-(5-amino-2-pyridinoxy)phenyl]propane (BAPDP) with various commercial dianhydrides were prepared for comparison and structure-property relationships study. The structures of the polyimides were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer, wide-angle X-ray diffractograms (XRD) and elemental analysis. Film properties including solubility, optical transparency, water uptake, thermal and mechanical properties were also evaluated. The introduction of pyridine and kinky structure into the backbones that polyimides presented good optical properties with 91-97% transparent at 500 nm and a low cut-off wavelength at 353-398 nm. Moreover, phenyl pendant groups of the polyimides showed high glass transition temperatures (Tg ) in the range of 257-281 °C. These results suggest that the incorporating pyridine, kinky and bulky substituents to polymer backbone can improve the optical transparency effectively without sacrificing the thermal properties.

A novel structural polyimide material with synergistic phosphorus and POSS for atomic oxygen resistance

A series of phosphorus-containing polyimide–POSS nanocomposites were synthesized, phosphorus and POSS synthetic self-passivating layers were formed to protect the underlying material from AO attack.

Novel and processable polyimides with a N-benzonitrile side chain: thermal, mechanical and gas separation properties

A series of organo-soluble and thermally stable polyimides with N-benzonitrile side group were synthesized from a new diamine monomer, 3-(bis(4-aminophenyl)amino)benzonitrile with different aromatic dianhydrides via thermal or chemical imidization.

Novel polyoxadiazoles with non-coplanar ortho-linked structures as highly CO2 permselective membranes

A novel class of polyoxadiazole membranes containing non-coplanar 1,1′-thiobis(2-naphthoxy) groups was synthesized using versatile route and tested for CO₂ separation. Upon oxidation, the sulfone-containing membranes exhibited higher permeability and lower selectivity.