Synthesis and properties of novel soluble polychloro substituted aromatic polyamides

A novel monomer of tetrachloroterephthaloyl chloride (TCTPC) was prepared by the chlorination of terephthaloyl chloride catalyzed by ferric chloride at 175–180°C for 10 h, and confirmed by FTIR, MS, and elemental analysis. A series of new polychloro substituted polyamides with inherent viscosities of 1.17–1.28 dL/g have been prepared from TCTPC with various aromatic diamines. All the polyamides were amorphous and readily soluble in polar solvents such as NMP, DMAc, DMF, and DMSO at room temperature, and could afford flexible and tough films via solution casting. The cast films exhibited good mechanical properties with tensile strengths of 83.6–106.8 MPa, elongations at breakage of 3.9–7.1%, and tensile modulus of 2.28–3.98 GPa. These polyamide films also exhibited good thermal stability with the glass transition temperature of 250–284°C, the temperature at 5% weight loss of 470–504°C and high char yields of 57.8–59.7% in nitrogen. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Synthesis and characterization of poly(arylene ether s‐triazine)s containing alkyl‐, aryl‐ and chloro‐substituted phthalazinone moieties in the main chain

Soluble and heat‐resistant polymers have great potential for use as processable, high‐temperature polymeric materials. In this study, four types of new poly(arylene ether s‐triazine)s containing alkyl‐, aryl‐ and chloro‐substituted phthalazinone moieties in the main chain were prepared through direct solution polycondensation of 2,4‐bis(4‐fluorophenyl)‐6‐phenyl‐s‐triazine with each of methyl‐, phenyl‐ and chloro‐substituted phthalazinones. A key feature of these polymers is the incorporation of phthalazinone and side groups into the poly(arylene ether s‐triazine) backbone to endow them with good solubility while maintaining other attractive properties. The polymers were obtained in high yields, and had inherent viscosities ranging from 0.38 to 0.55 dL g^?1. Their structure was characterized using Fourier transform infrared and NMR spectra and elemental analysis. The polymers were almost amorphous, and soluble in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone, pyridine, N,N‐dimethylacetamide, hot N,N‐dimethylformamide and sulfolane. Tough and nearly transparent films obtained by direct solution casting exhibited good mechanical properties. The resulting polymers displayed glass transition temperatures ranging from 255 to 265 °C and thermal decomposition temperatures for 10% mass loss ranging from 476 to 599 °C, according to differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis, respectively. The reactivity of substituted phthalazinones in nucleophilic displacement reactions and the effect of the side groups on the physical properties of the polymers were also investigated. The results obtained revealed that such s‐triazine‐containing polymers possessed good solubility while maintaining acceptable thermal stability and high mechanical strength with the incorporation of alkyl‐, aryl‐ and chloro‐substituted phthalazinone moieties into their backbones, which makes them an attractive series of high‐performance structural materials. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

共缩聚型可溶性耐高温聚芳酰胺合成与表征

采用二胺1，2—二氢—2—(4—氨基苯基)-4—[4—(4—氨基苯氧基)—苯基卜二氮杂萘—1—酮(二胺A)、对苯二胺为共缩聚二胺单体，与对苯二甲酸在Yamazaki膦酰化法聚合体系中，选择直接缩聚法，成功得到高分子量的聚芳酰胺，其特性粘数为0．96～1．44dL／g。以傅里叶变换红外光谱、核磁共振氢谱等分析手段研究了聚合物的结构，利用差示扫描量热法、热失重分析研究了聚合物的耐热性能。结果表明，该系列聚合物具有高的玻璃化转变温度(约为300℃)，氮气氛中5％热失重温度在450℃以上；当二胺A与对苯二胺的物质的量比例为10：0—5：5时，所得聚合物溶解于强极性溶剂。同时，系统研究了影响聚合物特性粘数的诸多因素，从而确定了最佳工艺条件。     

含二氮杂萘酮联苯结构双马来酰亚胺的合成

由含二氮杂萘联苯酮结构的芳香族二元胺4-[4-(4-氨基苯氧基)苯基]-2-(4-氨基苯基)二氮杂萘-1-酮(DHPZ-DA)与顺丁烯二酸酐(MA)反应得到了含二氮杂萘酮联苯结构的双马来酰亚胺预聚物(DHPZ-BMI),并对其进行了FT-IR红外及1H-1H COSY NMR核磁表征。对其溶解性的研究表明,DHPZ-BMI易溶或部分溶解于一些常见低沸点极性溶剂,如氯仿、丙酮。利用示差扫描量热仪(DSC)对DHPZ-BMI热行为进行了研究,结果表明该预聚物的熔点较高,熔融和固化过程的温度范围在低升温速率下有所重叠。为此,加入不同含量的2,2′-二烯丙基双酚A(DABPA)改善其工艺性,并采用DSC对其热性能进行了初步研究,结果表明DABPA的加入,可明显改善树脂的固化行为。     

Synthesis and properties of novel aromatic polyamides derived from 2,2‐bis[4‐(4‐amino‐2‐fluorophenoxy) phenyl]hexafluoropropane and aromatic dicarboxylic acids

A series of polyamides were synthesized by the direct polycondensation of 2,2‐bis[4‐(4‐amino‐2‐fluorophenoxy)phenyl]hexafluoropropane with various commercially available dicarboxylic acids such as terephthalic acid, isophthalic acid, 5‐t‐butyl isophthalic acid, and 2,6‐naphthalene dicarboxylic acid. The synthesized polyamides were soluble in several organic solvents such as N,N‐dimethylformamide, N,N‐dimethylacetamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, tetrahydrofuran, and chloroform, and they exhibited inherent viscosities of 0.42–0.59 dL/g. The polyamides exhibited weight‐average molecular weights of up to 26,000, which depended on the exact repeating unit structure. These polyamides showed good thermal stability up to 440°C for a 10% weight loss in synthetic air. The polyamides synthesized from 5‐t‐butyl isophthalic acid and isophthalic acid exhibited glass‐transition temperatures of 217 and 185°C, respectively (by differential scanning calorimetry) in nitrogen. The polyamides synthesized from terephthalic acid and 2,6‐naphthalene dicarboxylic acid showed melting temperatures of 319 and 385°C, respectively. The polyamides films were pale yellow, with tensile strengths of up to 82 MPa, moduli of elasticity of up to 2.3 GPa, and elongations at break of up to 9%, which depended on the exact repeating unit structure. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 691–696, 2003     

Synthesis and characterization of novel aromatic polyamides bearing CF3, quinoxaline‐anthraquinone pendants: Study of photophysical and electrochemical properties by using nanocomposite electrode paste

A new aromatic diamine, 2,3‐bis(4‐(4‐amino‐2‐(trifluoromethyl) phenoxy)phenyl)naphtho[2,3‐f]quinoxaline‐7,12‐dione, was synthesized and fully characterized by using FTIR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, DEPT technique, and elemental analysis. A series of novel fluorescent anthraquinone‐quinoxaline containing polyamides (PAs) with inherent viscosities of 0.39–0.62 dL/g was prepared by direct polycondensation of the diamine with various dicarboxylic acids. These PAs were readily soluble in many polar aprotic organic solvents and could be solution‐cast into tough and flexible films. The PAs exhibited glass transition temperatures (T_g)s between 230 and 323°C, and 10% weight loss temperatures in the range of 362–433°C in N₂. All of the PAs have fluorescence emission in solution and in solid state with maxima around 452–510 nm and with the quantum yields in the range of 6–17%. Also, cyclic voltammetry (CV) method was used to study the electrochemical oxidation behavior of these polymers at the surface of a modified multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)s glassy electrode. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Synthesis,characterization, and properties of novel aromatic polyamides containing phthalazinone moiety

A unsymmetrical and kink non-coplanar heterocyclic dicarboxylic acid monomer, 4-[4-(4-carboxy phenoxy)-naphthyl]-2-(4-carboxyphenyl)phthalazin-1-one (3) was successfully synthesized with high purity and high yields. A series of novel polyamides containing phthalazinone were prepared from the newly synthesized dicarboxylic acid with various aromatic diamines by means of the phosphorylation polycondensation reaction. Molecular weights of the obtained polyamides were evaluated viscometrically, and the inherent viscosities (η_inh) measured were in the range 0.54–0.69 dL/g. These polyamides were amorphous and readily soluble in many organic solvents, such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N,N-dimethylacetamide, N,N-dimetheylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, pyridine, and m-cresol etc., and they could easily be solution-cast into transparent, flexible films with good mechanical properties, with tensile strength ranging from 63.9 to 81.6 MPa and elongation at break from 7.2 to 11.4%. These polymers still kept good thermal stability with high-glass transition temperatures in the range of 283–338 °C, and the decomposition temperature in nitrogen for a 10% weight-loss temperatures in excess of 490 °C, and char yield at 800 °C in nitrogen ranged from 56 to 63%. Furthermore, the polyamides films were essentially colorless; their cut-off wavelengths were between 365 and 379 nm.     

Synthesis,characterization, and properties of novel fluorine containing aromatic polyamides

A series of novel fluorine containing aromatic polyamides were synthesized by the direct polycondensation of various fluorine containing aromatic diamines and commercially available 5‐t‐butyl isophthalic acid. These polyamides have good solubility in several organic solvents such as dimethylformamide, N,N‐dimethylacetamide, 1‐Methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone, dimethyl sulfoxide, and tetrahydrofuran. The synthesized polymers exhibited inherent viscosities up to 0.93 dL/g and M_w up to 1,52,000 with PDI of 2.49. The polyamides exhibited good thermal stability up to 489°C for 10% weight loss in nitrogen and high glass transition temperature up to 273°C. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed a very good retention of storage modulus up to the glass transition temperature. The tan δ peak value at 1 Hz was used to calculate the T_g and these values are in good agreement with differential scanning calorimetry data. The polyamide films were flexible with tensile strength up to 72 MPa, elongations at break up to 14%, and modulus of elasticity up to 1.39 GPa depending on the exact repeating unit structure. X‐ray diffraction measurements indicate that these polyamides are semicrystalline. Rheology study showed same trend of melt viscosity behavior with different shear rate for all polymers. Water absorption study indicates the hydrophobic nature of the polymer. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Synthesis of polyundecamethylene 2,6‐naphthalamide as semiaromatic polyamide‐containing naphthalene ring

A novel engineering plastic polyundecamethylene 2,6‐naphthalamide (PA11N) was prepared via a reaction of 2,6‐naphthalene dicarboxylic acid and 1,11‐undecanediamine through a three‐step procedure. The structure of synthesized PA11N was characterized by elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H‐NMR). The thermal behaviors were determined by differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and dynamic mechanical analysis. The solubility, water‐absorbing capacity, and mechanical properties of PA11N have also been investigated. Melting temperature (T_m), glass transition temperature (T_g), and decomposition temperature (T_d) of PA11N are 294, 139, and 493°C, respectively. The results show that the heat resistance and mechanical properties of PA11N are near to those of polynonamethylene terephthalamide, and PA11N is a promising heat‐resistant and processable engineering plastic. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Synthesis and properties of lyotropic liquid crystalline copolyamides containing phthalazinone moiety and ether linkages

A series of aromatic copolyamides containing phthalazinone moiety and ether linkages were prepared from 1,2-dihydro-2-(4-aminophenyl)-4-[4-(4-(aminophenoxyl)phenyl)](2H)phthalazin-1-one (DHPZ-DA), p-phenylenediamine (PPD), 4,4′-diaminodiphenylether (DAPE) and terephthaloyl dichloride (TPC) by low temperature solution polycondensation. The copolyamides had relatively high inherent viscosities, ranging from 1.86 to 5.30 dl/g. The copolyamides showed T_g values between 297 and 351 °C. Solubility of these copolyamides was improved in NMP, DMAc, NMP (1 wt% LiCl) and DMAc (1 wt% LiCl) by introducing phthalazinone moiety and ether linkages into the main chain. And they had good thermal stability, associated with 5 and 10% weight loss temperatures in the range of 480-516 and 501-532 °C in nitrogen, respectively. WAXD measures indicated these copolyamides were semicrystalline in nature. Some of these copolyamides exhibited lyotropic liquid crystalline behavior in concentrated H₂SO₄, NMP (1 wt% LiCl), and even in NMP solutions, as evidenced by polarizing light microscopy.     

新型间甲基取代杂萘联苯型聚芳酰胺的研制

采用间甲基取代杂萘联苯型类双酚4-(2-甲基-4-羟基苯基)-2,3-二氮杂萘-1-酮与对氯苯腈反应制得二腈化合物,进一步水解为二酸,以此新型二酸与三种二胺聚合制得的三种新型聚芳酰胺均具有较高的耐热性能,其玻璃化转变温度在287～317℃,且易溶于非质子极性溶剂中,聚合物的特性粘数为1.62～1.83 dL/g,拉伸强度为87～98 MPa,断裂伸长率为6.4％～8.4％,拉伸模量为0.7～1.3 GPa,表面电阻系数为10~(14)Ω,体积电阻系数达10~(17)Ω·cm。     

Synthesis and properties of poly(aryl ether sulfone)s containing the phthalazinone moiety

Three series of poly(aryl ether sulfone)s (PAESs) containing the phthalazinone moiety in the polymer backbone were synthesized by solution polycondensation of bis(4-chlorophenyl) sulfone with three commercial bisphenols and 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2,3-phthalazin-1-one. Bisphenol-A, hydroquinone, and bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) sulfone, or bisphenol-S, were selected as the commercial bisphenols for copolymerization. The synthesized polymers exhibited very high glass transition temperatures and excellent thermooxidative properties. They also showed superior mechanical properties and fair rheological properties. The introduction of relatively flexible moieties, such as benzene rings, onto the poly(phthalazinone ether sulfone) (PPES) chain led to a decrease in glass transition temperature with respect to the phthalazinone homopolymer. However, the processability of PPES was improved dramatically by the addition of these commercial bisphenols. The properties of synthesized PAESs can be tailored by changing the molar ratios of bisphenols to phthalazinone monomer. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 68:137–143, 1998     

Synthesis and properties of ethylene‐substituted styrene copolymers

The copolymerization of ethylene and substituted styrenes [RSt's; p‐methylstyrene (MSt), p‐tert‐butylstyrene (BSt), 2‐vinylnaphthalene (VN), and p‐(tert‐butyldimethylsilyloxy)styrene (BMSiOSt)] were investigated with dimethylsilylene(tetramethylcyclopentadienyl)(N‐tert‐butyl)titanium dichloride to yield the corresponding ethylene–RSt copolymers. The substituent on the styrene (St) monomers did not affect the monomer reactivity ratio. The effect of the substituent structure of RSt on the thermal and mechanical properties was studied with differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical thermal spectroscopy, and elongation testing. The glass‐transition temperature (T_g) of the copolymers increased with increasing RSt content, and the order of T_g was as follows: BSt > VN > MSt = St. A copolymer with p‐hydroxystyrene (HOSt) was successively synthesized by means of deprotection of the copolymer with BMSiOSt. The copolymer showed a much higher T_g than the other copolymers because of the hydrogen connection of its OH groups. The mechanical properties of the copolymer in the glass state, at a lower temperature than T_g, were almost independent of the nature of the RSt. The substituent of the St monomers affected the pattern of the stress–strain curve in the elongation testing in the amorphous state. An improvement in the shape memory effect was observed in poly(ethylene‐co‐BSt). © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Synthesis of polyamides from substituted fluorene and diamides in the presence of a copper(I) catalyst

2,7‐Dibromo‐9,9‐dioctylfluorene was synthesized by a two‐step reaction from fluorene and n‐octylboromide. This was reacted with benzamide for the preparation of a model compound and with terephthalamide, isophthalamide, and adipamide for the preparation of polyamides in the presence of a mixture of 10 mol % CuI and 20 mol % N,N′‐dimethylethylenediamine as a catalyst and K₂CO₃ as a base. The monomer and the model compound were characterized with Fourier transform infrared, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, and elemental analysis. The prepared polyamides were characterized with Fourier transform infrared, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and solubility and viscosity measurements. The obtained polyamides possessed excellent solubility in common organic solvents, and they exhibited inherent viscosities in the range of 0.93–1.19 dL/g. According to the differential scanning calorimetry analysis, the glass‐transition temperatures of the polyamides were in the range of 84–154°C. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that a 2% weight loss of the polyamides occurred in the temperature range of 218–253°C under a nitrogen atmosphere. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Synthesis and characterization of novel wholly para‐oriented aromatic polyamide‐hydrazides containing sulfone‐ether linkages

Four novel wholly para‐oriented aromatic polyamide‐hydrazides containing flexibilizing sulfone‐ether linkages in their main chains have been synthesized from 4‐amino‐3‐hydroxy benzhydrazide (4A3HBH) with either 4,4′‐sulfonyldibenzoyl chloride (SDBC), 4,4′‐[sulfonylbis(1,4‐phenylene)dioxy]dibenzoyl chloride (SODBC), 4,4′‐[sulfonylbis(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene)dioxy]dibenzoyl chloride (4MeSODBC), or 4,4′‐(1,4‐phenylenedioxy)dibenzoyl chloride (ODBC) via a low‐temperature solution polycondensation reaction. A polyamide‐hydrazide without the flexibilizing linkages is also investigated for comparison. It was synthesized from 4A3HBH and terephthaloyl chloride (TCl) by the same synthetic route. The intrinsic viscosities of the polymer ranged from 2.85 to 4.83 dL g^?1 in N,N‐dimethyl acetamide (DMAc) at 30°C and decreased with introducing the flexibilizing linkages into the polymer. All the polymers were soluble in DMAc, N,N‐dimethyl formamide (DMF), and N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone (NMP), and their solutions could be cast into films with good mechanical strengths. Further, they exhibited a great affinity to water sorption. Their solubility and hydrophilicity increased remarkably by introducing the flexibilizing linkages. The polymers could be thermally cyclodehydrated into the corresponding poly(1,3,4‐oxadiazolyl‐benzoxazoles) approximately in the region of 295–470°C either in nitrogen or in air atmospheres. The flexibilizing linkages improve the solubility of the resulting poly(1,3,4‐oxadiazolyl‐benzoxazoles) when compared with poly(1,3,4‐oxadiazolyl‐benzoxazoles) free from these linkages. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Synthesis and characterization of novel aromatic condensation polymers containing rigid benzoxazole pendent groups

A new aromatic diamine monomer containing benzoxazole substituents was prepared by a multistep synthesis starting from 1,4‐dibromo‐2,5‐difluorobenzene. The diamine was polymerized with commercial aromatic dianhydride or dicarboxylic acid chloride monomers to provide several different poly(amic acid)s and polyamides with their inherent viscosities in the range of 0.24–0.46 dL/g. Thermal properties of these polymers including thermal imidization of poly(amic acid)s into polyimides were investigated by using FTIR, DSC, and TGA. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 178–185, 2004     

Synthesis and characterization of polyimides containing pyridine moiety

A series of new polyimides was prepared by reacting 2,6‐diaminopyridine with various aromatic dianhydrides in DMF in 1 : 1 mole ratio. All the resulting polyimides were readily soluble in organic solvents such as dimethylformamide, N,N‐dimethylacetamide, pyridine, m‐cresol, THF, etc. They also show good film‐forming ability. The polyimides exhibit good thermal stability and mechanical properties. The polymers have high T_g in the range of 252–296°C. The inherent viscosities of the polymers vary from 0.81 to 1.28 dL/g. A new class of bismaleimide and polyaspartimide as also synthesized. All the resulting polymer structures were characterized by FTIR and elemental analysis. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 1846–1853, 2004     

Poly(decamethylene terephthalamide) copolymerized with long‐chain alkyl dodecanedioic acid: Toward bio‐based polymer and improved performances

Poly(decamethylene terephthalamide) (PA10T), a bio‐based high‐performance semi‐aromatic polyamide, has been commercialized in recent years. However, there still are some weaknesses restricting its application range, such as narrow melt processing window and low ductility. In this study, we chose dodecanedioic acid (a potential bio‐based raw material) as the comonomer to prepare copolyamides [poly(decamethylene terephthalamide/decamethylene dodecanediamide), PA10T/1012] for solving these problems. The basic properties of these copolyamides were characterized by viscosity measurement, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis, and tensile measurement. Results show that, compared to PA10T, PA10T/1012 exhibits wider melt processing window and more outstanding elongation at break. Meanwhile, PA10T/1012 is still qualified for high temperature resistant material. Furthermore, T_g, T_d,5%, T_d,10%, and T_d,max of PA10T/1012 show a linear dependence on 1012 content, which is helpful to design new bio‐based copolyamides for meeting the needs of various occasions. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46531.     

Preparation and properties of three novel poly(phosphazene‐aryl amide)s containing cyclotriphosphazene structures

1,1,3,5‐tetraphenoxy‐3,5‐bis(4‐aminoanilino)cyclotriphosphazene, 1,1,3,5‐tetraphenoxy‐3,5‐bis[4‐(4‐aminophenysulfone)anilino)]cyclotriphosphazene, and 1,1,3,5‐tetraphenoxy‐3,5‐bis(N,N′‐ethanediamine)cyclotriphosphazene were synthesized in two steps from the p‐Phenylenediamine, 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylsulfone, and ethylenediamine via nucleophilic substitution and catalytic reduction with hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene. Three novel aromatic polyamides such as poly(cyclotriphosphazene‐p‐phenylene amide), poly(cyclotriphosphazene‐p‐sulfuryl amide), and poly(cyclotriphosphazene‐ethyl amide) were synthesized from these diamines by direct polycondensation reaction with terephthaloyl chloride and pyridine in N‐methyl pyrrolidone, respectively. The chemical structures of the diamine monomers and three novel poly(cyclotriphosphazene‐aryl amide)s were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared, (¹H and ³¹P) Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, and Elemental Analysis. The thermal properties of the polyamides were determined by Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). The crystallization behaviors of the polyamides were studied by Wide‐ray X‐ray diffraction, and the morphology of the pyrolysis residues were observed by Scanning Electron Microscope. The three poly(cyclotriphosphazene‐aryl amide)s with amorphous structure would exhibit an enhanced solubility in polar aprotic solvents and a superior thermal stability with initial decomposition temperature being at about 198–259°C. TGA curves of the poly(cyclotriphosphazene‐aryl amide)s exhibit mainly three thermal decomposition steps, and the poly(cyclotriphosphazene‐p‐phenylene amide) presents the highest solid residue rate 62.6% heated to 600°C. In the morphology analysis of the poly(cyclotriphosphazene‐aryl amide) solid residues, organophosphorus gelatum forms in the surface layer were observed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Synthesis of new soluble aromatic poly(amide imide)s from unsymmetrical extended diamine containing phthalazinone moiety

The preparation of a new unsymmetrical kink non‐coplanar heterocyclic diamine, 1,2‐dihydro‐2‐(4‐aminophenyl)‐4‐[4‐(3‐phenyl‐4‐aminophenoxy)phenyl]‐(2H)phthalazin‐1‐one (3), from a readily available unsymmetrical phthalazinone bisphenol‐like (1) was described. The diamine can be directly polymerized with various aromatic bis(trimellitimide)s (4a–e) by using triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents to give a series of new aromatic poly(amide imides) (5a–e) containing the kink non‐coplanar phthalazinone heterocyclic units with inherent viscosities of 0.57–1.06 dL/g. The polymers were readily soluble in a variety of solvents such as N,N‐dimethylformamide, N,N‐dimethylacetamide, dimethylsulfoxide, N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone, and even in pyridine and m‐cresol and could be cast to form flexible and tough films. The glass transition temperatures were in the range of 315–340°C, and the temperatures for 5% weight loss in nitrogen were in the range of 487–512°C. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 1516–1520, 2004