Organosoluble polyimides derived from asymmetric 2‐substituted‐and 2,2′,6‐trisubstituted‐4,4′‐oxydianilines

We report a new method for the preparation of asymmetric diamines using 4,4′‐oxydianiline (4,4′‐ODA) as the starting material. By controlling the equivalents of bromination agent, N‐bromosuccinimide, we were able to attach bromide and phenyl substituents at the 2‐ or 2,2′,6‐positions of 4,4′‐ODA. Thus, four new asymmetric aromatic diamines, 2‐bromo‐4,4′‐oxydianiline (6), 2,2′,6‐tribromo‐4,4′‐oxydianiline (7), 2‐phenyl‐4,4′‐oxydianiline (8) and 2,2′,6‐triphenyl‐4,4′‐oxydianiline (9), were synthesized by this method. Their structural asymmetry was confirmed using ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Asymmetric polyimides (PI10–PI13) were prepared from these diamines and three different dianhydrides (pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA), 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride and 2,2‐bis(3,4‐dicarboxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane dianhydride) in refluxing m‐cresol. The formed polyimides, except PI10a derived from 6 and PMDA, were all soluble in m‐cresol without premature precipitation during polymerization. These polyimides with inherent viscosity of 0.41–0.96 dL g^?1, measured at a concentration of 0.5 g dL^?1 in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone at 30 °C, can form tough and flexible films. Because of the structural asymmetry, they also exhibited enhanced solubility in organic solvents. Especially, polyimides PI11a and PI13a derived from 7 and 9 with rigid PMDA were soluble in various organic solvents at room temperature. The structural asymmetry of the prepared polyimides was also evidenced from ¹H NMR spectroscopy. In the ¹H NMR spectrum of PI11a, the protons of pyromellitic moiety appeared in an area ratio of 1:2:1 at three different chemical shifts, which were assigned to head‐to‐head, head‐to‐tail and tail‐to‐tail configurations, respectively. These polyimides also exhibited good thermal stability. Their glass transition temperatures ranged from 297 to 344 °C measured using thermal mechanical analysis. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

Preparation and properties of novel fluorinated polyimides based on 2,2′,6,6′-tetrafluorobenzidine

Fluorinated polyimides were prepared from 2,2′,6,6′-tetrafluorobenzidine and four conventional dianhydride monomers by a solution polycondensation reaction followed by a chemical imidization. Polyimide based on 2,2′,6,6′-tetrafluorobenzidine and hexafluoroisopropylidene bis(3,4-phthalic anhydride) (6FDA) is soluble in organic solvents such as NMP, DMA, DMF, THF, chloroform, and acetone while those based on 2,2′,6,6′-tetrafluorobenzidine and pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA), benzophenone-3,3′,4,4′-tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (BTDA), diphenylether-3,3′,4,4′-tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (ETDA) are not. Polyimide from 2,2′,6,6′-tetrafluorobenzidine and 6FDA possesses high optical transparency at 350–700 nm and has a in-plane refractive index of 1.558 at 632.8 nm. All polyimides exhibit glass transition temperatures above 350°C. They also possess very high thermal stability. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 70: 1605–1609, 1998     

Resistive switching characteristics of polyimides derived from 2,2′‐aryl substituents tetracarboxylic dianhydrides

2,2′‐Position aryl‐substituted tetracarboxylic dianhydrides including 2,2′‐bis(biphenyl)‐4,4′,5,5′‐biphenyl tetracarboxylic dianhydride and 2,2′‐bis[4‐(naphthalen‐1‐yl)phenyl)]‐4,4′,5,5′‐biphenyl tetracarboxylic dianhydride were synthesized. A new series of aromatic polyimides (PIs) were synthesized via a two‐step procedure from 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyl tetracarboxylic dianhydride and the newly synthesized tetracarboxylic dianhydrides monomers reacting with 2,2′‐bis[4′‐(3″,4″,5″‐trifluorophenyl)phenyl]‐4,4′‐biphenyl diamine. The resulting polymers exhibited excellent organosolubility and thermal properties associated with T_g at 264 °C and high initial thermal decomposition temperatures (T_5%) exceeding 500 °C in argon. Moreover, the fabricated sandwich structured memory devices of Al/PI‐a/ITO was determined to present a flash‐type memory behaviour, while Al/PI‐b/ITO and Al/PI‐c/ITO exhibited write‐once read‐many‐times memory capability with different threshold voltages. In addition, Al/polymer/ITO devices showed high stability under a constant stress or continuous read pulse voltage of ? 1.0 V. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis and properties of new aromatic polyimides based on 2,2′‐dibromo‐4,4′,5,5′‐benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride

New polyimides with enhanced thermal stability and high solubility were synthesized in common organic solvents from a new dianhydride, 2,2′‐dibromo‐4,4′,5,5′‐benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (DBBTDA). DBBTDA was used as monomer to synthesize polyimides by using various aromatic diamines. The polymers were characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. These polyimides had good inherent viscosities in N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidinone (NMP) and also high solubility and excellent thermo‐oxidative stability, with 5 % weight loss in the range 433 to 597 °C. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis of 3,3′-Bis(2,2′,4,4′,6,6′-Hexanitortilbene)

This paper describes the synthesis of 3,3′bis(2,2′,4,4′,6,6′-hexanitrostilbene) (5). Based on the Ullmann reaction we prepared the title compound in nitrobenzene by using 3-chloro 2,2′,4,4′,6,6′-hexanitroztilbene (4) as the starting material and copper powder as the catalyst. (4) was reacted with hydrazine, not to yield a desired product, azo-3,3′bist(2,2′,4,4′,6,6′-hexanitrostilbene.) but to form a well-known explosive, 2,2′,4,4′,6,6′-hexanitrostibene (6). Differential scanning calorimetrical analysis has shown that (5) begins to decompose at the temperature of 298°C.     

Effect of monomer composition on properties of copolyimides derived from 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride/4,4′‐oxydianiline/1,3‐bis (4‐aminophenoxy)benzene

A series of uncontrolled molecular weight homopolyimides and copolyimides based on 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (s‐BPDA)/4,4′‐oxydianiline (4,4′‐ODA)/1,3‐bis(4‐aminophenoxy)benzene (TPER) were synthesized. All the polyimides displayed excellent thermal stability and mechanical properties, as evidenced by dynamic thermogravimetric analysis and tensile properties testing. A singular glass transition temperature (T_g) was found for each composite from either differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) or dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), but the values determined from tan δ of DMA were much different from those determined from DSC and storage modulus (E′) of DMA. The Fox equation was used to estimate the random T_g values. Some composites exhibited re‐crystallization after quenching from the melt; upon heating, multi‐melting behavior was observed after isothermal crystallization at different temperatures. The equilibrium melting temperature was estimated using the Hoffman‐Weeks method. Additionally, DMA was conducted to obtain E′ and tan δ. Optical properties were strongly dependent on the monomer composition as evidenced by UV‐visible spectra. X‐ray diffraction was used to interpret the crystal structure. All the results indicated that composites with TPER composition ≥ 70% were dominated by the TPER/s‐BPDA polyimide phase, and ≤40% by the 4,4′‐ODA/s‐BPDA polyimide phase. When the ratio between the two diamines was close to 1:1, the properties of the copolyimides were very irregular, which means a complicated internal structure. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Ambipolar and multi‐electrochromic polyimides based on N,N‐di(4‐aminophenyl)‐N′,N′‐diphenyl‐4,4′‐oxydianiline

A series of novel aromatic polyimides were synthesized from N,N‐di(4‐aminophenyl)‐N′,N′‐diphenyl‐4,4′‐oxydianiline and aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides through a conventional two‐step procedure. Most of the polyimides exhibited reasonable solubility in organic solvents and could afford robust films via solution casting. The polyimides exhibited high thermal stability, with glass transition temperatures in the range 227–273 °C and 10% weight‐loss temperatures in excess of 550 °C. All the polyimide films showed ambipolar redox and multi‐electrochromic behaviors. They exhibited two reversible oxidation redox couples at 0.94–0.98 and 1.09–1.12 V versus Ag/AgCl in acetonitrile solution. A coupling reaction between the radical cations of the pendent triphenylamine units occurred during the oxidative process forming a tetraphenylbenzidine structure which resulted in an additional redox state and color change. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry     

Preparation and properties of organo‐soluble polyimides based on 4,4′‐diamino‐3,3‐dimethyldiphenylmethane and conventional dianhydrides

4,4′‐Diamino‐3,3′‐dimethyldiphenylmethane was used to prepare polyimides in an attempt to achieve good organo‐solubility and light color. Polyimides based on this diamine and three conventional aromatic dianhydrides were prepared by solution polycondensation followed by chemical imidization. They possess good solubility in aprotonic polar organic solvents such as N‐methyl 2‐pyrrolidone, N,N‐dimethyl acetamide, and m‐cresol. Polyimide from 4,4′‐diamino‐3,3′‐dimethyldiphenylmethane and diphenylether‐3,3′,4,4′‐tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride is even soluble in common solvents such as tetrahydrofuran and chloroform. Polyimides exhibit high transmittance at wavelengths above 400 nm. The glass transition temperature of polyimide from 4,4′‐diamino‐3,3′‐dimethyldiphenylmethane and pyromellitic dianhydride is 370°C, while that from 4,4′‐diamino‐3,3′‐dimethyldiphenylmethane and diphenylether‐3,3′,4,4′‐tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride is about 260°C. The initial thermal decomposition temperatures of these polyimides are 520–540°C. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 72: 1299–1304, 1999     

Residual stress and mechanical properties of polyimide thin films

Four different structure polyimide thin films based on 1,4‐phenylene diamine (PDA) and 4,4′‐oxydianiline (ODA) were synthesized by using two different dianhydrides, pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA), and their residual stress behavior and mechanical properties were investigated by using a thin film stress analyzer and nanoindentation method. The residual stress behavior and mechanical properties were correlated to the morphological structure in polyimide films. The morphological structure of polyimide thin films was characterized by X‐ray diffraction patterns and refractive indices. The residual stress was in the range of ?5 to 38 MPa and increased in the following order: PMDA‐PDA < BPDA‐PDA < PMDA‐ODA < BPDA‐ODA. The hardness of the polyimide films increased in the following order: PMDA‐ODA < BPDA‐ODA < PMDA‐PDA < BPDA‐PDA. The PDA‐based polyimide films showed relatively lower residual stress and higher hardness than the corresponding ODA‐based polyimide films. The in‐plane orientation and molecularly ordered phase were enhanced with the increasing order as follows: PMDA‐ODA < BPDA‐ODA < BPDA‐PDA ～ PMDA‐PDA. The PDA‐based polyimides, having a rigid structure, showed relatively better‐developed morphological structure than the corresponding ODA‐based polyimides. The residual stress behavior and mechanical properties were correlated to the morphological structure in polyimide films. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Novel phenylethynyl‐endcapped polyimide oligomers: Synthesis and characterization

A series of novel phenylethynyl‐endcapped polyimide oligomers were prepared by polycondensation of an aromatic diamine mixture of 1,3‐bis(4‐aminophenoxy) benzene (1,3,4‐APB) and 3,4′‐oxydianiline (3,4′‐ODA) with different aromatic dianhydrides including 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA), 4,4′‐(hexafluoro isopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride (6FDA), 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA), and 4,4′‐[2,2,2‐trifluoro‐1‐(3′,5′‐bis‐(trifluoro‐methyl)phenyl)ethylidene]diphthalic anhydride (9FDA) in the presence of 4‐phenyl‐ethynylaniline (PEA) as endcapping agent in aprotic solvent at elevated temperature. The chemical structures, thermal behavior, and melt rheological properties of the synthesized polyimide oligomers were investigated. Experimental results indicated that the fluorinated polyimide oligomers derived from 6FDA (PI‐2) and 9FDA (PI‐4) are amorphous solid resins and exhibited lower melt viscosities than those prepared from the unfluorinated aromatic dianhydrides such as BPDA and ODPA. The BPDA‐based polyimide oligomers with a molar ratio of 1,3,4‐APB/3,4′‐ODA = 50:50 (PI‐5) showed lower melt viscosity than those derived from a mixture of 1,3,4‐APB and 3,4′‐ODA with molar ratios of 75:25 and 100:0, respectively. In addition, the melt viscosity of the polyimide oligomers increased obviously with increasing of the polymer calculated molecular weights. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Synthesis and properties of novel alicyclic‐functionalized polyimides prepared from natural—(D)‐camphor

In this article, a new alicyclic‐functionalized diamine, 1,3‐bis(4‐aminophenoxymethylene)‐1,2,2‐trimethylclopentane (BAMT) was successfully synthesized starting from natural —(D)‐camphor through four reaction steps of oxidation to offer a dicaboxylic acid, reduction to offer a diol, nucleophilic substitution to give a dinitro compound and then reduction to give the final diamine. Two alicyclic‐containing polyimides were prepared by polycondensing BAMT with 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) and 4,4′‐oxydiphthalicanhydride (ODPA), respectively. For the studies of the structure–property relationships of the polyimides, one aromatic polyimide of 4, 4′‐oxydianiline (ODA) polycondensed with ODPA was prepared in comparison. The alicyclic‐containinig polyimides PI (BPDA‐BAMT) and PI (ODPA‐BAMT) maintain good thermal properties with glass transition temperatures (T_g) of 257°C and 240°C, and temperatures at 5% weight loss (T₅) of 443°C and 436°C in nitrogen, respectively. The alicyclic polyimides exhibit tensile strengths of 91.9–133 MPa, Young's moduli of 2.75—3.24 GPa, and elongations at break of 5.6–18%. Compared with the aromatic polyimide PI (ODPA‐ODA), PI (ODPA‐BAMT) shows improved transparency with the UV‐Vis transmittance at 500 nm over 80%. In addition, PI (ODPA‐BAMT) displays better solubility than PI (ODPA‐ODA), which has been confirmed by the bigger d‐spacing value of PI (ODPA‐BAMT) than that of PI (ODPA‐ODA) calculated from the Wide‐angle X‐ray Diffraction spectra. This study indicates that the renewable forestry compound, such as natural —(D)‐camphor, could be a good origin for the structural designing and preparation of alicyclic‐containing polyimides with outstanding combined features suitable for advanced microelectronic and optoelectronic applications. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Molecular simulation of the glass transition and proton conductivity of 2,2′‐benzidinedisulfonic acid and 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylether‐2,2′‐disulfonic acid‐based copolyimides as polyelectrolytes for fuel cell applications

The glass transition temperatures (T_gs) and proton conductivities of polyimides synthesized from naphthalene‐1,4,5,8‐tetracarboxylic dianhydride (NTDA), 2,2′‐benzidinedisulfonic acid (BDSA), 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylether‐2,2′‐disulfonic acid (ODADS), and non‐sulfonated diamine monomers have been predicted using molecular dynamics simulations. The specific volumes for two dry and four hydrated NTDA‐based polyimides were plotted versus temperatures above and below T_gs to obtain the glass transition temperatures. The simulation results suggest that the ODADS‐based polyimide membranes exhibit lower T_gs and thus better mechanical properties than the BDSA‐based polyimides, which may be attributed to the high mobility of backbones of ODADS as supported by the vectorial autocorrelation function (VACF) results of this study. In addition, comparison of the simulated T_gs for the dry and hydrated ODADS‐based polyimides has shown that water content in polyimides can affect their T_gs. The proton conductivities of a representative polyimide in both dry and hydrated conditions have been obtained from molecular dynamics simulations of the proton and hydronium ion diffusion. The simulated conductivity for the hydrated NTDA‐ODADS/BAPB cell is in reasonable agreement with the experimental value obtained from the AC impedance method. The relationship between the chemical composition, chain flexibility, and the glass transition and proton conduction of these NTDA‐based polyimides was explored on the basis of VACF and pair correlation function analysis. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

2,2′,6,6′-Tetrabromo-3,3′,5,5′-tetramethyl-4,4′-biphenol (TTB)–flame retardant copolycarbonates and copolyesters

2,2′,6,6′-Tetrabromo-3,3′,5,5′-tetramethyl-4,4′-biphenol (TTB) is a new flame retardant monomer possessing a high degree of chemical and thermal stability. This brominated biphenol can be directly incorporated as a comonomer in condensation polymerizations. An example is the preparation of copolycarbonates of TTB and 2,2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane (BPA) via the aqueous caustic phosgenation method. The reaction of TTB with either ethylene oxide or ethylene chlorohydrin affords 4,4′-bis(2-hydroxyethoxy)-2,2′,6,6′-tetrabromo-3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbiphenyl (TTB-Diol). This diol is melt polymerized into a series of terephthalate copolymers with 1,4 butanediol. The above copolymers possess flame retardancy, thermal stability, and good mechanical properties. These high-bromine-content copolymers are blended with nonhalogen-containing polymers to afford blends with specific degrees of flame resistance.     

The pyrolysis behaviors of polyimide foam derived from 3,3′,4,4′‐benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride/4,4′‐oxydianiline

The thermal stability and pyrolysis behaviors of polyimide (PI) foam derived from 3,3′,4,4′‐benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA)/4,4′‐oxydianiline (4,4′‐ODA) in air and in nitrogen were studied. The decomposition products of PI foam were analyzed by thermogravimetry‐Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TG‐FTIR). Several integral and differential methods reported in the literatures were used in decomposition kinetics analysis of PI foam. The results indicated that the PI foam was easier to decompose in air than in nitrogen, with ～ 55% residue remaining in nitrogen versus zero in air at 800^oC. The main pyrolysis products were CO₂, CO, and H₂O in air and CO₂, CO, H₂O, and small organic molecules in nitrogen. The different dynamic methods gave similar results that the apparent activation energies, pre‐exponential factors, and reaction orders were higher in nitrogen than those in air. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Crystallography and Structure–Property Relationships of 2,2″,4,4′,4″,6,6′,6″‐Octanitro‐1,1′ : 3′,1″‐Terphenyl (ONT)

An X‐ray crystallographic study of 2,2″,4,4′,4″,6,6′,6″‐octanitro‐1,1′ : 3′,1″‐terphenyl (ONT) has been carried out. The dihedral angles between benzene rings vary from 84.9° to 89.4°. Nonbinding interatomic distances of oxygen atoms inside all the nitro groups are shorter than the intermolecular contact radii for oxygen. On the basis of the DFT B3LYP/6‐31(d, p) method it was found that the difference between the X‐ray structure in the solid phase and DFT result for the gas phase is 98 kJ mol⁻¹, and the bearer of the highest initiation reactivity of the ONT molecule in the solid phase should be the nitro group at 4″‐position, in contrast to those at 4′‐ or 6′‐position that play this role in the isolated molecule. It has been stated that the nitro groups at the reaction centers of the ONT molecule are relatively well specified by their ¹⁵N NMR chemical shifts.     

Morphology of polyimide fibers derived from 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride and 4,4′‐oxydianiline

As one member of high performance fibers, aromatic polyimide fibers possess many advantages, such as high strength, high modulus, high and low temperature resistance, and radiation resistance. However, the preparation of the high performance fibers is so difficult that the commercial fibers have not been produced except P84 with good flame retardancy. In this report, a polyimide was synthesized from 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) and 4,4′‐oxydianiline (ODA) and the fibers were prepared from its solution by a dry‐jet wet‐spinning process. The formation of the as‐spun fibers in different coagulation bath composition was discussed. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was employed to study the morphology of the as‐spun fibers. As a result, the remnant solvent existed in the as‐spun fibers generated from coagulation bath of alcohol and water. There were many fibrils and microvoids with the dimension of tens of nanometers in the fibers. One could observe the obvious fibrillation and the drawn fibers. The measurement for the mechanical properties of the fibers with a drawing ratio of 5.5 indicated that tensile strength and initial modulus were 2.4 and 114 GPa, respectively. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 669–675, 2004     

Crystallography and Structure–Property Relationships in 2,2′,2″,2′′′,4,4′,4″,4′′′,6,6′,6″,6′′′‐Dodecanitro‐1,1′ : 3′1″ : 3″,1′′′‐ Quaterphenyl (DODECA)

X‐ray crystallographic study of 2,2′,2″,2′′′,4,4′,4″,4′′′,6,6′,6″,6′′′‐dodecanitro‐1,1′ : 3′1″ : 3″,1′′′‐quaterphenyl (DODECA) has been carried out. Nonbonding interatomic distances of oxygen atoms inside of all the nitro groups are shorter than those corresponding to the intermolecular contact radii for oxygen. By means of the DFT B3LYP/6‐31(d, p) method a difference of 136 kJ mol⁻¹ between the X‐ray and DFT structures of DODECA was found. The bearer of the highest initiation reactivity in its molecule in solid phase should be the nitro group at 4′′′‐position, in contrast to those at 2′‐ or 2″‐positions in its isolated molecule. The most reactive nitro group in the DODECA molecule can be well specified by the relationship between net charges on nitro groups and charges on their nitrogen atoms, both of them for the X‐ray structure. The ¹⁵N chemical shift, corresponding to this nitro group for the initiation by impact and shock, correlates very well with these shifts of the reaction centers of the other six “genuine” polynitro arenes.     

Correlation of residual stress and adhesion on copper by the effect of chemical structure of polyimides for copper‐clad laminates

BACKROUND: Polyimide films coated on copper are a potential new substrate for fabricating printed circuit boards; however, adhesion between the copper and polyimide films is often poor. The relations between residual stress and adhesion strength according to the development of molecular orientation of polyimide films with different chemical backbone structure coated on copper were studied. RESULTS: The effect of chemical structures on properties including the residual stress and the adhesion strength were widely investigated for four different polyimides. Diamine 4,4′‐oxydianiline (ODA) and dianhydrides 1,2,4,5‐benzenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PMDA), 4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride (6FDA), 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA) and 3,3′,4,4′‐benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) were used to synthesize polyimide. In an attempt to quantify the interaction of thermal mismatch with the polyimide films depending on various structures, residual stress experiments between polyimide film and Cu? Si wafer were carried out over a range of 25–400 °C using in situ thin film stress analysis. A universal test machine was used to conduct 180° peel test (ASTM D903‐98) of polyimide film from cooper foil. The residual stress on Cu? Si (100) wafer decreased in the order 6FDA‐ODA > BTDA‐ODA > ODPA‐ODA > PMDA‐ODA, and the interfacial adhesion strength decreased in the order BTDA‐ODA (5 N mm^?2) > ODPA‐ODA > PMDA‐ODA > 6FDA‐ODA. The results may suggest that the morphological structure, degree of crystallinity of chain orientation and packing significantly relate to the residual stress and adhesion strength in polyimide films. Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction was used for characterizing the molecular order and orientation and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used for the analysis of components on copper after polyimide films were detached to confirm the existence of copper oxide chemical bonding and to measure the binding energy of elements on the copper surface. CONCLUSION: In this research, it is demonstrated that BTDA‐ODA polyimide has a low residual stress to copper, good adhesion property, good thermal property and low dielectric constant. Therefore, BTDA‐ODA would be expected to be a promising candidate for a two‐layer copper‐clad laminate. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis and Characterization of 4,4′,5,5′‐Tetranitro‐2,2′‐Bi‐1H‐imidazole (TNBI)

We synthesized 4,4′,5,5′‐tetranitro‐2,2′‐bi‐1H‐imidazole (TNBI), which may serve as a new energetic filler for high explosive formulations. TNBI was synthesized by treating an excess amount of sodium nitrate with 2,2′‐bi‐1H‐imidazole (BI), which was produced from glyoxal and ammonia gas. The overall synthetic yield was 32%. The synthesized TNBI was characterized by performing various chemical analyses including NMR, IR, and CHN analyses. Small scale sensitivity tests were carried out at both research institutes (ADD and ARDEC). The sensitivity results varied from ‘more sensitive than RDX’ to ‘substantially less sensitive than RDX’ according to the purity and conditions of the test samples. Based on our careful characterizations, this large variation in sensitivity was attributed to the moisture content that was present in the test samples due to a hygroscopic nature of TNBI. We also found that the hygroscopic nature of TNBI changed significantly due to the amount of impurities, especially sulfates.     

Preparation of Transparent Polyimides Derived from cis‐ and trans‐Dicyclohexyl‐3,3′,4,4′‐tetracarboxylic Dianhydrides

Two series of alicyclic polyimides composed of cis‐ and trans‐dicyclohexyl‐3,3′,4,4′‐tetracarboxylic dianhydrides (DCDAs) and aromatic diamines were prepared. All cis‐polymers could be readily prepared both in a one‐step method and a two‐step method. However, a two‐step method is preferably applied in the preparation of trans‐polymers, because in a one‐step method the trans‐configuration is partially lost at higher temperatures. These polyimide solutions could be cast into tough and flexible films, which were characterized by inherent viscosity, GPC, DSC, TGA measurements, and UV‐vis spectroscopy. The glass transition temperatures (T_g's) of the polymers were in the range of 210–270°C and the 5% weight loss temperatures were around 480°C for all PIs prepared. The optical transmittances of these films were more than 80% at 350 nm for ca. 15 μm thickness.