Synthesis and characterization of organosoluble polyfluorinated polyimides derived from 3,3′,5,5′‐tetrafluoro‐4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane and various aromatic dianhydrides

A polyfluorinated aromatic diamine, 3,3′, 5,5′‐tetrafluoro‐4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane (TFDAM), was synthesized and characterized. A series of polyimides, PI‐1–PI‐4, were prepared by reacting the diamine with four aromatic dianhydrides via a one‐step high‐temperature polycondensation procedure. The obtained polyimide resin had moderate inherent viscosity (0.56–0.68 dL/g) and excellent solubility in common organic solvents. The polyimide films exhibited good thermal stability, with an initial thermal decomposition temperature of 555°C–621°C, a 10% weight loss temperature of 560°C–636°C, and a glass‐transition temperature of 280°C–326°C. Flexible and tough polyimide films showed good tensile properties, with tensile strength of 121–138 MPa, elongation at break of 9%–12%, and tensile modulus of 2.2–2.9 GPa. The polyimide films were good dielectric materials, and surface and volume resistance were on the order of a magnitude of 10¹⁴ and 10¹⁵ Ω cm, respectively. The dielectric constant of the films was below 3.0 at 1 MHz. The polyfluorinated films showed good transparency in the visible‐light region, with a cutoff wavelength as low as 302 nm and transmittance higher than 70% at 450 nm. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 1442–1449, 2007