Synthesis and characterization of new 4‐tolyldiphenylamine derivatives for hole transporting polymers

New hole transport polymers have been synthesized by condensation polymerization of 4‐tolyldiphenylamine (TDPA) with various types of aldehyde. The reaction conditions have been investigated to yield polymers with high molecular weight. It is found that the molecular weight and yield of the TDPA–aldehyde polymers strongly depend on the electron donor–acceptor nature of the substituent on the aromatic ring of the aldehyde monomer. Structural characterization by ¹H NMR spectroscopy shows that the addition condensation reaction occurs exclusively at the para position of TDPA. The electrochemical and optical properties of polymers have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry and UV–vis spectroscopy. Cyclic voltammograms of all polymers show well‐defined pairs of reduction and oxidation peaks, indicating that the polymers are electrochemically active. All polymers show low conductivities of magnitude 10^?14 S cm^?1. Differential scanning calori‐metry measurements reveal that TDPA–aldehyde polymers exhibit glass transitions in the range 170–230 °C. These polymers possess good solubility and the films show sufficient morphological stability. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis and properties of new polyamides based on a hydroxyethyl cinnamide extended from 3,5‐diaminobenzoic acid

A series of new aromatic polyamides containing cinnamide pendent units were prepared from 2′‐(cinnamide)ethyl‐3,5‐diaminobenzoate and various aromatic dicarboxylic acids by the direct polycondensation reaction, with triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents. The polyamides were characterized by ¹H NMR, IR, and UV spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography. Their thermal stability was studied by thermogravimetric analysis in air, and differential scanning calorimetry. These polymers were readily soluble in polar aprotic solvents and can be cast from their solutions in flexible and tough films. Glass transition temperatures (T_gs) of these polyamides were observed in the range of 225–245°C. Their inherent viscosities varied from 0.77 to 1.12 dL/g that corresponded to weight–average and number–average molecular weights of 39,000–72,700 and 18,800–29,000, respectively. These polymers can be photochemically crosslinked. The photochemical aspects were revealed by means of UV–vis and IR analyses onto thin films. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 2013–2020, 2007     

Synthesis and properties of novel poly(coumarin‐amide)s

A novel monomer diacid, 6,6′‐methylenebis(2‐oxo‐2H‐chromene‐3‐carboxylic acid), was synthesized and used in a direct polycondensation reaction with various aromatic diamines in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone solution containing dissolved LiCl and CaCl₂, using triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents to give a series of novel heteroaromatic polyamides containing photosensitive coumarin groups in the main chain. Polyamide properties were investigated by DSC, TGA, GPC, wide‐angle X‐ray scattering, viscosity, and solubility measurements. The copolymers were soluble in aprotic polar solvents, and their inherent viscosities varied between 0.49 and 0.78 dL g^?1. The weight‐average and number‐average molecular weights, measured by gel permeation chromatography, were 27,500–43,900 g mol^?1 and 46,500–66,300 g mol^?1, respectively, and polydispersities in the range of 1.48–1.69. The aromatic polyamides showed glass‐transition temperatures (T_g) ranging from 283 to 329°C and good thermal properties evidenced by no significant weight loss up to 380°C and 10% weight loss recorded above 425°C in air. All the polyamides exhibited an amorphous nature as evidenced by wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction and demonstrated a film forming capability. Water uptake values up to 3.35% were observed at 65% relative humidity. These polymers exhibited strong UV‐vis absorption maxima at 357–369 nm in DMSO solution, and no discernible photoluminescence maxima were detected by exciting with 365 nm. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Synthesis and characterization of high molecular weight side chain liquid crystalline/photoactive polymers

Various liquid crystalline and photoactive azobenzene monomers were synthesized and attached to copoly(methyl methacrylate‐glycidyl methacrylate) [copoly (MMA‐GMA)] to get high molecular weight side chain liquid crystalline (LC)/photoactive copolymers. Further, spacers are generated in situ and reactive groups are obtained after the modification. All monomers and polymers were thoroughly characterized by FTIR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, UV‐VIS spectrophotometry, gel permeation chromatography, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and polarized optical microscopy. All side chain LC polymers showed higher thermal stability than that of copoly(MMA‐GMA). Three LC and one azo monomer exhibited characteristic nematic mesophase where as one LC monomer has shown nematic and sanded smectic‐A texture. The rate of trans‐cis isomerization of polymer was lower than that of the monomer and both monomers and polymers showed slow back isomerization. Present approach offers convenient way to synthesize high/desired molecular weight photoactive LC polymers. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Synthesis of branched benzoxazine monomers with high molecular mass,wide processing window,and properties of corresponding polybenzoxazines

Four cyclotriphosphazene‐based benzoxazine monomers (I, II, III, and IV) with relatively high molecular weight were synthesized by a nucleophilic substitution reaction, and their chemical structures were confirmed by ¹H‐NMR and ³¹P‐NMR. A new term, oxazine value (OV, similar to epoxy value), was first proposed to explain the structure–property relationship of the cured polymers. The polymerization behaviors of the four monomers were studied by differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The maximum exothermic peaks of the four monomers are in the range 244–248 °C. All monomers possess a wide processing window despite their high molecular weight. The thermal stability, glass‐transition temperature (T_g), and mechanical properties of each cured polymer were studied by thermogravimetric analysis and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. The char yield at 850 °C, T_g, and storage moduli of PIV (polybenzoxazine obtained from monomer IV) are 60.0%, 218 °C, and 9.0 GPa, respectively. The surface property and humidity absorption character of the cured polybenzoxazines were also studied. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44453.     

Synthesis,structures, and density functional theory computational study of thiophene‐containing and fluorodecorated imine‐linked polymers

A new series of extended–conjugated and thermally stable thiophene‐containing imine‐linked polymers were synthesized via a Schiff‐base condensation reaction between aryl aldehydes and 2,6‐diaminopyridine building blocks. The backbones of the polymers were functionalized with phenyl, fluorosubstituted phenyl, thienyl, and pyridyl aromatic rings. The successful synthesis was confirmed with spectrochemical characterization techniques, including IR, ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR, and elemental analyses. The electronic properties of the polymers were investigated with ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) absorption spectroscopy; the properties were collected experimentally and calculated with density functional theory (DFT) in the gas phase. The maximum absorption calculated from DFT was higher than the experimental values by about 60 nm; this was attributed to the absence of the solvent effect in the DFT case. The frontier molecular orbital ((HOMO) highest occupied molecular orbital and (LUMO) lowest unoccupied molecular orbital), optical band gap (E_g), and total energy (E_T) values of the optimized structures were calculated. Apparently, there was a significant relation between the number of thiophene rings and the resulting E_g and E_T values. As the number of thiophene rings in the polymer chain increased, E_g and E_T decreased, and the thermal stability of the polymers increased. E_g and the absorption band edges were determined experimentally from the UV–vis and transmittance spectra, respectively. Poly(terthienyl–azomethine–pyridine–azomethine), with the highest thiophene content, had the lowest experimental and calculated E_g values (2.10 and 2.63 eV, respectively). In contrast, upon fluorination, poly[(2,5‐dithienyl–1,4‐difluorobenzene)–azomethine–pyridine–azomethine] exhibited the highest E_g (2.81 eV) and absorption band edges (2.94 eV), whereas the thermal stability decreased to 250 °C. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44331.     

Optical limiting materials: Synthesis,electrochemical and optical studies of new thiophene based conjugated polymers carrying 1,3,4‐oxadiazole units

In this communication we report synthesis of three new donor‐acceptor (D–A) type conjugated polymers carrying 1,3,4‐oxadiazole moiety and thiophene unit with different side groups at its 3,4 positions (4‐methoxybenzyl:P1, 3‐methylbenzyl:P2 and 4‐nitrobenzyl:P3) through polycondensation route using a series of newly synthesized monomers. The structures of new monomers and polymers were confirmed by NMR, FTIR spectroscopic methods followed by elemental analysis. Further, molecular weight and thermal stability were determined using gel permeation chromatography and thermogravimetric analysis. The linear optical and electrochemical properties of polymers were investigated by UV–vis absorption, fluorescence spectroscopic, and cyclic voltammetric studies. The polymers P1–P3 were found to be thermally stable and their electrochemical band gaps were determined to be 1.98, 2.14, and 2.18 eV respectively. Further their nonlinear optical properties were investigated by Z‐scan method using 532 nm, 7 ns laser pulses. The results reveal that they possess good optical limiting behavior due to effective three‐photon absorption (3PA) with absorption coefficient 2.5 × 10^?24 m^?3W², 1.6 × 10^?24 m^?3W², and 1.0 × 10^?24 m^?3W². POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Organosoluble asymmetric aromatic polyamides bearing pendent phenoxy groups

This study focuses on the synthesis and characterization of new polyamides based on an aromatic asymmetric diamine‐containing phenoxy‐substituted benzophenone segment. Low‐temperature solution polycondensation reactions of this diamine with various aromatic diacid chlorides containing ether, hexafluoroisopropylidene or diphenylsilane groups resulted in polyamides with molecular weights in the range 102 900–113 200 g mol^?1. The structures of these monomers and the corresponding polymers were fully confirmed using elemental analysis and infrared and NMR spectroscopy. All polyamides were easily soluble at room temperature in polar aprotic solvents and even in less polar solvents such as tetrahydrofuran. The polymers showed excellent thermal stability, up to 385 °C, and displayed glass transition temperatures in the range 225–256 °C. All the polymers presented blue florescence upon irradiation with UV light and thus show promise for applications in electroluminescent devices. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis,characterization, thermal stability,conductivity, and band gap of a new aromatic polyether containing an azomethine as a side

In this study, the oxidative polycondensation reaction conditions of 4‐[(4‐methylphenyl)iminomethyl]phenol (4‐MPIMP) were studied by using oxidants such as air O₂, H₂O₂, and NaOCl in an aqueous alkaline medium between 50 and 90°C. The structures of the synthesized monomer and polymer were confirmed by FTIR, UV–vis, ¹H–¹³C‐NMR, and elemental analysis. The characterization was made by TGA‐DTA, size exclusion chromatography (SEC), and solubility tests. At the optimum reaction conditions, the yield of poly‐4‐[(4‐methylphenyl)iminomethyl]phenol (P‐4‐MPIMP) was found to be 28% for air O₂ oxidant, 42% for H₂O₂ oxidant, and 62% for NaOCl oxidant. According to the SEC analysis, the number–average molecular weight (M_n), weight–average molecular weight (M_w), and polydispersity index values of P‐4‐MPIMP were found to be 4400 g mol^?1, 5100 g mol^?1, and 1.159, using H₂O₂, and 4650 g mol^?1, 5200 g mol^?1, and 1.118, using air O₂, and 5100 g mol^?1, 5900 g mol^?1, and 1.157, using NaOCl, respectively. According to TG analysis, the weight losses of 4‐MPIMP and P‐4‐MPIMP were found to be 85.37% and 72.19% at 1000°C, respectively. P‐4‐MPIMP showed higher stability against thermal decomposition. Also, electrical conductivity of the P‐4‐MPIMP was measured, showing that the polymer is a typical semiconductor. The highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy levels and electrochemical energy gaps (E) of 4‐MPIMP and P‐4‐MPIMP were found to be ?5.76, ?5.19; ?3.00, ?3.24; 2.76 and 1.95 eV, respectively. According to UV–vis measurements, optical band gaps (E_g) of 4‐MPIMP and P‐4‐MPIMP were found to be 3.34 and 2.82 eV, respectively. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Two photoluminescent polymers based on fluorene and 2,4,6‐triphenyl pyridine: Synthesis and electroluminescence

Two fluorene and triphenyl pyridine‐based linear and dendronized copolymers, P1 and P2 , were synthesized and fully characterized by ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR, and matrix assistant laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectra, respectively. The absorption, photoluminescence (PL) behavior, and energy band gaps of P1 and P2 relative to those of polyfluorene end‐capped with benzene ( P0 ) were examined through UV–vis, photoluminescent spectra, and cyclic voltammetry. The UV–vis absorption and PL emission behavior of P0 and P1 were hardly affected by molecular architecture, while those of P2 were strongly correlated with the dendronized molecular frameworks. Cyclic voltammetry studies indicated the lower highest occupied molecular orbital energy level and wider band gap of P2 thin solid film relative to those of P0 and P1 . The new polymers were thermally stable up to 410°C. The better luminance and external quantum efficiencies of P1 relative to those of P0 in polymer light‐emitting diode (PLED) applications are due to improved electron injection, charge trapping and recombination at the pyridine sites. Through the experiments, it is found that the triphenyl pyridyl segments and excimers‐formation make pronounced contribution to long wavelength emission in P1 ‐based blue light‐emitting materials, and the analogous materials containing 2,4,6‐triphenyl pyridyl unit of P1 constitute highly attractive materials for white PLED applications. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Flexible polybenzoxazine thermosets containing pendent aliphatic chains

The rich chemistry of polybenzoxazines allows a wide range of molecular structure design by using appropriate starting materials. A new class of polybenzoxazines has been developed from benzoxazine monomers containing pendent long aliphatic chains. The monomers have been synthesized by the reaction of phenol or bisphenol A with two different long‐chain aliphatic amines. The chemical structure of the monomers was confirmed by ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The polymerization behavior of the monomers studied by differential scanning calorimetry shows exothermic peaks due to the ring‐opening polymerization of benzoxazine monomers centered at 247–255 °C. Dynamic mechanical analysis indicated that the glass transition temperatures T_g were in the range 81–92 °C. The thermal stability of the polymers was also examined by thermogravimetric analysis, demonstrating that the weight loss temperatures decreased in comparison with that of traditional polybenzoxazine. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

A polythiophene derivative with dioctyloxyltriphenylamine‐vinylene conjugated side chain: Synthesis,hole mobility,and photovoltaic property

A new polythiophene derivative with dioctyloxyl triphenylamine‐vinylene ( DOTPAV ) conjugated side‐chain, DOTPAV‐PT , was synthesized by the Stille coupling method and characterized by ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR, elemental analysis, gel permeation chromatography, thermogravimetric analysis, UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. The polymer DOTPAV‐PT is soluble in common organic solvents and possesses good thermal stability with 5% weight loss temperature of 310°C. The weight‐average molecular weight of DOTPAV‐PT is 8.0 K with a polydispersity index of 1.24. The hole mobility of the polymer determined from space‐charge‐limited current model was 1.25 × 10^?4 cm² V^?1 s^?1. The bulk heterojunction polymer solar cell with the configuration of ITO/PEDOT : PSS/polymer : PCBM (1 : 1)/Ca/Al was fabricated, and the power conversion efficiency of the device was 0.16% under the illumination of AM1.5, 100 mW cm^?2. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Synthesis and properties of aromatic polyimide,poly(benzoxazole imide), and poly(benzoxazole amide imide)

Two series of heterocyclic aromatic polymers were synthesized from 4,4′‐(4,4′‐isopropylidenediphenoxy)bis(phthaltic anhydride) and 2,2′‐bis(3,4‐dicarboxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane dianhydride by two‐step method. The inherent viscosities were in the range of 24–45 cm³/g. The effects of the rigid benzoxazole group in the backbone of copolymer on the thermal, mechanical, and physical properties were investigated. These polymers exhibit good thermal stability. The temperatures of 5% weight loss (T₅) of these polymers are in the range of 403–530°C in air and 425–539°C in nitrogen. The chard yields of these polymers are in the range of 15–24% in air and 54–61% in nitrogen. These polymers also have high glass‐transition temperatures and a low coefficient of thermal expansion and good mechanical properties. The poly(benzoxazol imide) has a higher tensile strength and modulus than those of neat polyimide. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Synthesis and characterization of novel organosoluble biosourced poly(ester imide)s based on 1,4:3,6 -dianhydrohexitols suited for adhesives applications

A new series of poly(ester imide)s were prepared from the polycondensation of isosorbide and a series of synthesized diacyl chloride monomers based on a reaction between 1,2,4-Benzenetricarboxylic anhydride (TMA) and various diamines. The structures of the resulting polymers were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and ¹³C NMR spectra. Inherent viscosities and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) measurements proved the formation of high molecular weight poly(ester imide)s. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed deterioration temperature in the range of 221–400 °C indicating a good thermal stability. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements revealed high glass transition temperature in the range of 67–185 °C. Wide angle X-ray diffraction measurements showed that the studied poly(ester imide)s were semi-crystalline. Most of the synthesized poly(ester imide) exhibited a good adhesion ability and tensile strength values comparable to analogous polymers.     

Polyimides 7: Synthesis,characterization, and properties of novel soluble semifluorinated poly(ether imide)s

Three novel diamine monomers ( VI , VII , and VIII ) were synthesized. These diamine monomers lead to a number of semifluorinated poly(ether imide)s when reacted with different commercially available dianhydrides like pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA), benzophenone tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (BTDA), 2,2‐bis (3,4‐dicarboxyphenyl) hexafluoropropene (6FDA), and oxydiphthalic dianhydride (ODA) by thermal imidization route. Elemental analyses, IR and NMR techniques were used to characterize the monomers and polymers. The resulting polymers exhibited weight average molar masses up to 1.78 × 10⁵ g mol^?1 in GPC with respect to polystyrene standard and have very good solubility in several organic solvents such as NMP, DMF, DMAC, DMSO, chloroform, and THF. Very good solubility of these polymers in CDCl₃ enables their complete characterization by proton as well as ¹³C‐NMR techniques. The polymers showed very high thermal stability with decomposition temperature (5% weight loss) up to 511°C in air and high glass transition temperature up to 311°C depending upon the exact repeating unit structure. The polymer films showed high modulus (up to 2.9 GPa) as was evaluated by DMA. The polymers also showed very low water absorption (0.16%), low dielectric constant (2.35 at 1MHz) and very good optical transmission. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 3025–3044, 2007     

The substituent effects on the structure and surface morphology of polyaniline

In this work, poly(2‐fluoroaniline), poly(2‐chloroaniline), poly(2‐methylaniline), and poly(N‐ethylaniline) were prepared by a self‐assembly method using an oxidizing system consisting of a dopant anion, p‐toluene sulfonate with ammonium peroxydisulfate. The effects of substituents on the surface morphology, conductivity, molecular weight, spectral and thermal properties of the polymers were studied. SEM results revealed that the surface morphology of the resulting polymers changed from nanofiber to spherical structure by changing the substituent on the aniline monomers. The structure and properties of these conducting films were characterized by FTIR, UV‐vis, elemental analysis, TGA, conductivity, and cyclic voltammetry. The polymer films show electroactivity in monomer free solution. Molecular weight of the polymers was determined by gel permeation chromatography. The dry electrical conductivity values of the substituted‐polyanilines were found to be lower than that of PANI. The results revealed that the molecular structures of the polymers were similar to those of the emeraldine form of polyaniline. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Photocrosslinkable phosphorus containing homo‐ and copolyesters: Synthesis,characterization, and photosensitive properties

A new series of homo‐ and copolyphosphoramide esters containing pendant chlorine group was synthesized from dihydroxy chalcones, N‐(4‐chlorophenyl)phosphoramidic dichloride, and terephthaloyl chloride by interfacial polycondensation technique. The diol monomers were prepared by condensing 4‐hydroxy benzaldehyde and 3‐methoxy‐4‐hydroxybenzaldehyde with 4‐hydroxy acetophenone. The synthesized monomers and polymers were characterized by UV, IR and ¹H, ¹³C, and ³¹PNMR spectroscopic techniques. Molecular weight of the polymers was determined by gel permeation chromatography. The thermal properties of the polymers were studied by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry under nitrogen atmosphere. The photo‐crosslinking ability of the polymers in various solvents was observed with UV spectrophotometer. The photocrosslinking proceeds via 2π +2π cycloaddition reaction of α, β‐unsaturated carbonyl group. The comparison study on the rate of photocrosslinking of homo and copolymers was also carried out. The chemical and physical properties of these polyesters are compared with those of the unsubstituted polyesters and the results are discussed herein. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

New soluble azophenol polymers prepared by oxidative polycondensation

New azophenol polymers (P₁, P₂ and P₃) were synthesised by the oxidative polycondensation (OP) reaction of three different azophenol monomers in aqueous alkaline medium with NaOCl as the oxidant. The monomers and the polymers were characterised by elemental analyses, and UV‐visible, Fourier transform infrared, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR spectroscopic studies, which revealed that the polymers synthesised by OP are composed of oxyphenylene (C? O? C) and phenylene (C? C) units. The polymers obtained are soluble in dimethylformamide and dimethylsulfoxide. Average molecular weights of the polymers were determined by gel permeation chromatography. Additionally, P₂ and P₃ are soluble in water and methanol. On the basis of thermogravimetric analyses, 5 and 50% weight‐loss temperatures of the polymers were found to be 218, 700 (P₁), 263, 609 (P₂) and 100, 809 °C (P₃), respectively, suggesting a high thermal stability. Thermal analyses using differential scanning calorimetry revealed that the azophenol polymers are highly amorphous, and melting peaks were not observed in the heating cycles. This suggests that all the polymers are highly amorphous. The azophenol polymers show a reversible trans–cis–trans isomerisation process. These properties of the polymer could be promising for their technological usage. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Poly‐2‐[(4‐methylbenzylidene)amino]phenol: Investigation of thermal degradation and antimicrobial properties

A new polyphenol (poly‐2‐[(4‐methylbenzylidene)amino]phenol) (P(2‐MBAP)) containing an azomethine group was synthesized by oxidative polycondensation reaction of 2‐[(4‐methylbenzylidene)amino]phenol (2‐MBAP) with NaOCl, H₂O₂, and O₂ oxidants in an aqueous alkaline medium. The structures of 2‐MBAP and P(2‐MBAP) were characterized by UV‐vis, FT‐IR, and ¹H NMR spectra. While the monomer decomposed completely up to 350°C and 57.2% of the polymer decomposed up to 1000°C. The thermal degradation of P(2‐MBAP) was also supported by the Thermo‐IR spectra recorded in the temperature range of 25–800°C. Electrical conductivity of the polymer was observed to increase 10⁸ fold after doping with I₂. Antimicrobial activities of the P(2‐MBAP) and 2‐MBAP against Sarcina lutea, Enterobacter aerogenes, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus feacalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis, Candida albicans, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were also investigated. The number average molecular weight (M_n), weight average molecular weight (M_w) and polydispersity index (PDI) of the polymers were determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41758.     

Synthesis and properties of new poly(ether imides) based on pyridine‐containing aromatic dianhydride and diamine monomers

A series of novel aromatic poly(ether imides) with inherent viscosities of 0.48–0.70 dL/g and weight‐average molecular weights of 18,800–40,500 g/mol were successfully prepared from two dianhydride and two diamine monomers containing pyridine moiety via both two‐step method and one‐step method. Comparison of the one‐step and the two‐step methods for the preparation of poly(ether imides) was carried out and shown that poly (ether imides) obtained via one‐step method exhibited higher molecular weights than the similar polymers prepared through two‐step process. Poly(ether imide) resins obtained via both one‐step and two‐step methods with subsequent chemical dehydration showed good solubility not only in high boiling point solvents but also in low boiling point solvents. High‐quality poly(ether imide) films could be obtained via the two‐step method with subsequent thermal imidization, which exhibited excellent thermal properties with glass transition temperatures of 239–278°C, initial decomposition temperatures of 540–574°C, residual weight percent at 800°C of 64.5–69.3% under nitrogen, good thermo‐oxidative stability with initial decomposition temperatures of 521–544°C, residual weight percent at 800°C of 33.6–51.1% under air atmosphere, outstanding mechanical properties with tensile strengths in the range of 104.6–109.4 MPa, tensile modulus in the range of 1.92–2.58 GPa, and elongation at break from 6.9 to 8.0%, as well as good transparency with cutoff wavelengths of 386–392 nm and low dielectric constants of 2.80–2.92 at 1 MHz. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009