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     

Thermoplastic character of polyimide blends

Polyimide blends consisting of pyromellitic dianhydride/4,4′-oxydianiline (PMDA/ODA) and biphenyl-tetracarboxylic dianhydride/p-phenylene diamine (BPDA/PDA) show a distinct glass transition behavior at temperatures lower than each component does. Disruption of molecular packing by blending of polymers having dissimilar interaction sites leads to a significant increase in molecular mobility at much lower temperatures. This is examined by laminating two pieces of film cast from the blend and measuring the adhesive strength at the interface. A strong adhesion, 11.5 N/cm (6.6 lbf/in) by 180° peel test, was achieved indicating interpenetration of polyimide molecules. It was also found that the polyimide blends can be converted into highly ordered states by mechanical deformation of the blends above their glass transition temperatures (T_gs).     

Adhesion of polyimide to silicon and polyimide

The characteristics of the adhesions of polyimide to silicon and to polyimide and the autohesion of a polyimide blend have been investigated. As found, the peel strength of pyromellitic dianhydride–4,4′-oxydianiline (PMDA–ODA) on silicon can be greatly improved by blending with 20 or 40% benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride–p-phenylene diamine (BPDA–PDA). Exposing in air for a 2 day period resulted in a serious deterioration in adhesion for the pure PMDA–ODA system, while in no deterioration for the blend systems. Regardless of adhesion or autohesion, the resulting peel strength decreased markedly with the increase of the curing temperature. It was also found that based on the same curing temperature the diffusion of NMP is much faster in the film of PMDA–ODA than in the blend containing 20% BPDA–PDA. Beside curing temperature, imide-to-imide compatibility seems to play an important role in affecting the adhesion characteristics. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Preparation and properties of polyimide/silica hybrid composites based on polymer‐modified colloidal silica

A new type of polyimide/silica (PI/SiO₂) hybrid composite films was prepared by blending polymer‐modified colloidal silica with the semiflexible polyimide. Polyimide was solution‐imidized at higher temperature than the glass transition temperature (T_g) using 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) and 4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl ether (ODA). The morphological observation on the prepared hybrid films by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) pointed to the existence of miscible organic–inorganic phase, which resulted in improved mechanical properties compared with pure PI. The incorporation of the silica structures in the PI matrix also increased both T_g and thermal stability of the resulting films. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 2053–2061, 2006     

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     

Effect of organosilica isomers on the interfacial interaction in polyimide/aromatic organosilica hybrids

We report the effect of organosilica precursor isomers on the interfacial interaction between polyimide and organosilica in polyimide/organosilica hybrid composite films. Poly(4,4′‐oxydianiline biphenyltetracarboxamic acid) (BPDA‐ODA PAA) was used as the polyimide precursor, while the organosilica was made using o‐substituted, m‐substituted, and p‐substituted phenyl organosilica precursor isomers. For the preparation of precursor hybrid films, BPDA‐ODA PAA and organosilica precursors were mixed and then the organosilica precursors were converted to corresponding organosilica via sol–gel process. Finally, these precursor films were converted to corresponding polyimide/organosilica hybrid films by the thermal imidization of BPDA‐ODA PAA, which results in poly(4,4′‐oxydianiline biphenyltetracarboximide) (BPDA‐ODA PI). The polyimide/organosilica hybrid films were characterized using three distinctive nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies (¹H NMR, ¹³C‐CPMAS‐NMR, and ²⁹Si‐MAS‐NMR), wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS), and peel strength measurement. We found that the m‐substituted phenyl organosilica shows poorer interfacial interaction with BPDA‐ODA PI than do the o‐ or p‐substituted phenyl organosilicas. It was observed, however, that the peel strength of the hybrid films against an aluminum substrate increased with increasing contents of organosilicas, regardless of the nature of the organosilica isomers. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 2507–2513, 2007     

Effect of montmorillonite on thermal and moisture absorption properties of polyimide of different chemical structures

The thermal properties and the moisture absorption of three types of polyimide/montmorillonite nanocomposite were investigated: 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride‐4,4′‐oxydianiline (BPDA‐ODA); pyromellitic dianhydride‐ODA (PMDA‐ODA); and 3,3′,4,′‐benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride‐ODA (BTDA‐ODA). The inhibition effect on in‐plane coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) and moisture absorption of these polyimide nanocomposites by layered silicates from montmorillonite was found to decrease with the crystallinity in the pristine polyimides. The largest reduction, 30% in in‐plane CTE occurred in the case of amorphous BTDA‐ODA containing 5 wt % montmorillonite as compared with that of pure BTDA‐ODA, while the reduction in in‐plane CTE was 20% for the case of semicrystalline BPDA‐ODA. The maximum reduction in moisture absorption, 43%, also took place for the case of 3/97 ODA‐Mont/BTDA‐ODA as compared with that of pure BTDA‐ODA, whereas the semicrystalline 1/99 PPD‐Mont/BPDA‐ODA showed a 30% reduction as compared with that of pure BPDA‐ODA. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 1742–1747, 2001     

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     

Structure–property relationship of polyimide fibers containing ether groups

The copolyimide (co‐PI) fibers with outstanding mechanical properties were prepared by a two‐step wet‐spinning method, derived from the design of combining 4,4′‐oxydianiline (ODA) with the rigid 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA)/p‐phenylenediamine (p‐PDA) backbone. The mechanical properties of PI fibers were drastically improved with the optimum tensile strength of 2.53 GPa at a p‐PDA/ODA molar ratio of 5/5, which was approximately 3.7 times the tensile strength of BPDA/p‐PDA PI fibers. Two‐dimensional wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction indicated that the highly oriented structures were formed in the fibers. Two‐dimensional small‐angle X‐ray scattering revealed the existence of the needle‐shaped microvoids aligned parallel to the fiber axis, and the introduction of ODA led to the reduction in the size of the microvoids. As a result, the significantly improved mechanical properties of PI fibers were mainly attributed to the gradually formed homogeneous structures. The co‐PI fibers also exhibited excellent thermal stabilities of up to 563°C in nitrogen and 536°C in air for a 5% weight loss and glass transition temperatures above 279°C. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42474.     

Synthesis of poly(propylene glycol)‐grafted polyimide precursors and preparation of nanoporous polyimides

A novel approach to prepare a polyimide nanofoam was explored by using a polyimide precursor grafted with a labile poly(propylene glycol) (PPG) oligomer. The PPG‐grafted polyimide precursor, poly((amic acid)‐co‐(amic ester)), was synthesized via partial esterification of poly(amic acid) derived from pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and 4,4′‐oxydianiline (ODA) with bromo‐terminated poly(propylene glycol) in the presence of K₂CO₃ in hexamethylphosphoramide and N‐methylpyrrolidone. The precursor polymer film was spin‐coated onto a glass substrate, then imidized at 200 °C under nitrogen, and subsequently the PPG graft was decomposed by heating the film at 300 °C for 9 h in air, resulting in the PMDA/ODA polyimide nanofoam. The precursor polymers, polyimides and foamed polyimides were characterized by a variety of techniques including ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy, Fourier‐transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The homogeneously distributed nano‐sized pores of 20–40 nm were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of the foamed polyimide. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

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     

Adhesion mechanisms in the solid‐state bonding technique using submicrometer aromatic thermosetting copolyester adhesive

The adhesion mechanism between polyimides and aromatic thermosetting copolyester (ATSP) involved in the solid‐state bonding technique using submicrometer ATSP coatings was evaluated. The adhesion strength at the interface between ATSP and polyimide is strongly related to the diffusion of ATSP into the polyimide base layer. We used dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry to study the interface width between deuterated ATSP and polyimides and found that the interface between ATSP and poly(4,4′‐diphenylether pyromellitimide) (PMDA‐ODA) is wider than the interface between ATSP and poly(p‐phenylene biphenyltetracarboximide) (BPDA‐PPD) because of the less rigid chain in the PMDA‐ODA. By partially curing both polyimides, the interface width was greatly increased, which could lead to an improved adhesion at the interface between polyimide BPDA‐PPD and ATSP. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 3843–3856, 2004     

Water sorption behaviors of the BPDA‐based polyimide films depending upon the structural isomers of diamine

For the biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA)‐based polyimide thin films, the water sorption behaviors were gravimetrically investigated by using a thin film diffusion analyzer. The water sorption behaviors of the polyimide thin films are quite different and strongly dependent upon the sort of polyimide. The diffusion coefficients of the polyimide thin films vary in the range of 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁰ to 12.4 × 10⁻¹⁰cm²/s and the water uptakes vary from 1.52 to 5.25 wt %. Both the diffusion coefficient and water uptake of the polyimide thin films are in the increasing order: BPDA‐pPDA < BPDA‐p,p′ODA < BPDA‐p,m′ODA < BPDA‐mPDA ∼ BPDA‐p,p′DDS < BPDA‐m,m′DDS. Specifically, the polyimide films with para‐oriented linkages in backbone structure showed relatively lower diffusion coefficient and water uptake than the corresponding polyimide films with meta‐oriented linkages because of the well‐developed crystalline structure and good intermolecular chain ordering. In addition, the polyimide thin films having higher chain order showed relatively lower diffusion coefficient and water uptake. The crystallinity and intermolecular chain ordering in the morphological structure are critical parameters in controlling the water sorption behaviors of the polyimide thin films. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 79: 2121–2127, 2001     

The effect of curing history on the residual stress behavior of polyimide thin films

The effect of curing history on the residual stress behaviors in semiflexible structure poly(4,4′‐oxydiphenylene pyromellitimide) (PMDA–ODA) and rigid structure poly(p‐phenylene biphenyltetracarboximide) (BPDA–PDA) polyimide was investigated. Depending upon the curing history and different structures of polyimide, the residual stress behaviors and the morphology of polyimide thin films were detected in situ by using a wafer bending technique and wide angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD), respectively. For the rigid structure BPDA–PDA polyimide, the residual stress and the slope decreased from 11.7 MPa and 0.058 MPa/°C to 4.2 MPa and 0.007 MPa/°C as the curing temperature increased, and the annealing process is done. However, for the semiflexible structure PMDA–ODA, the change of the residual stress and the slope was relatively not significant. In addition, it was found that the cured polyimide prepared at a higher temperature with a multistep curing process showed a higher order of chain in‐plain orientation and packing order than does the polyimide film prepared at a lower temperature with a one‐step curing process. These residual stress behaviors of polyimide thin films show good agreement with WAXD results, such as polyimide chain order, orientation, and intermolecular packing order, due to curing history. Specifically, it shows that the effect of curing history on residual stress as well as morphological change was significant in rigid BPDA–PDA polyimide but, not in semiflexible PMDA–ODA polyimide. Therefore, it suggests that the morphological structure depends upon curing history, and the polyimide backbone structure might be one of important factors to lead the low residual stress in polyimide thin films. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 3287–3298, 1999     

Preparation and properties of melt‐processable polyimides based on fluorinated aromatic diamines and aromatic dianhydrides

Two series of melt‐processable polyimides were prepared from 4,4′‐bis(3‐amino‐5‐trifluoromethylphenoxy)biphenyl (m‐6FBAB) and 4,4′‐bis(4‐amino‐5‐trifluoromethylphenoxy) biphenyl (p‐6FBAB) with various aromatic dianhydrides. The effects of the chemical structures of the polyimides on their properties, especially the melt processability and organic solubility, were investigated. The experimental results demonstrate that some of the fluorinated aromatic polyimides showed good melt processability at elevated temperatures (250–360°C) with relatively low melt viscosities and could be melt‐molded to produce strong and tough polyimide sheets. Meanwhile, the polyimides showed excellent organic solubility in both polar aprotic solvents and common solvents to give stable polyimide solutions with high polymer concentrations and relatively low viscosities. Thus, we prepared high‐quality polyimide films by casting the polyimide solutions on glass plates followed by baking at relatively low temperatures. The polyimides derived from m‐6FBAB showed better melt processability and solubility than the p‐6FBAB based polymers. The melt‐processable polyimides showed a good combination of thermal stability and mechanical properties, with decomposition temperatures of 547–597°C, glass‐transition temperatures in the range 205–264°C, tensile strengths of 81.3–104.9 MPa, and elongations at break as high as 19.6%. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Water‐sorption behavior of P‐phenylene diamine–based polyimide thin films

Four different p‐PDA–based polyimide thin films were prepared from their respective poly(amic acid)s through thermal imidization at 400°C: poly(p‐phenylene pyromellitimide) (PMDA‐PDA); poly(p‐phenylene biphenyltetra carboximide) (BPDA‐PDA); poly(p‐phenylene 3,3′,4,4′‐oxydiphthalimide) (ODPA‐PDA); and poly(p‐phenylene 4,4′‐hexafluoroisopropylidene diphthalimide) (6FDA‐PDA). Water‐sorption behaviors of polyimide films were gravimetrically investigated at 25°C and 22–100% relative humidity by using the modified electromicrobalance (Thin Film Diffusion Analyzer). The diffusion coefficients of water for the polyimides varies in the range of 1.6 to 10.5 × 10⁻¹⁰ cm²/s, and are in the increasing order: BPDA‐PDA < PMDA‐PDA ∼ ODPA‐PDA < 6FDA‐PDA. The water uptakes of polyimides vary from 1.46 to 5.80 wt %, and are in the increasing order: BPDA‐PDA < ODPA‐PDA < 6FDA‐PDA < PMDA‐PDA. The water‐sorption behaviors for the p‐PDA–based polyimides are closely related to the morphological structure; specifically, the diffusion coefficients in p‐PDA–based polyimide thin films are closely related to the in‐plane orientation and mean intermolecular distance, whereas the water uptakes are affected by the packing order. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 76: 1315–1323, 2000     

Synthesis and properties of the amino‐functionalized multiple‐walled carbon nanotubes/polyimide nanocomposites

The 1,6‐hexanediamine‐functionalized multi‐walled carbon nanotubes(a‐MWNTs)/polyimide(PI) nanocomposite films were prepared through in‐situ polymerization followed by mixture casting, evaporation, and thermal imidization. To increase the compatibility of carbon nanotubes with the matrix polyimide, a‐MWNTs was used as the filler. According to the results, a‐MWNTs were homogeneously dispersed in the nanocomposite films. With the incorporation of a‐MWNTs, the mechanical properties of the resultant films were improved due to the strong chemical bonding and interfacial interaction between a‐MWNTs and 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride(ODPA)/4,4′‐Oxydianiline(ODA) polyimide matrix. The thermal stability of the a‐MWNTs/polyimide nanocomposite was also improved by the addition of a‐MWNTs. The electrical tests showed a percolation threshold at about 0.85 vol% and the electrical properties were increased sharply. POLYM. COMPOS., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Sulfonated polyimide and poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate based semi‐interpenetrating polymer network membranes for fuel cells

Semi‐interpenetrating polymer network (semi‐IPN) membranes based on novel sulfonated polyimide (SPI) and poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) have been prepared for the fuel cell applications. SPI was synthesized from 1,4,5,8‐naphthalenetetracarboxylic dianhydride, 4,4′‐diaminobiphenyl 2,2′‐disulfonic acid, and 2‐bis [4‐(4‐aminophenoxy) phenyl] hexafluoropropane. PEGDA was polymerized in the presence of SPI to synthesize semi‐IPN membranes of different ionic contents. These membranes were characterized by determining, ion exchange capacity, water uptake, water stability, proton conductivity, and thermal stability. The proton conductivity of the membranes increased with increasing PEGDA content in the order of 10^?1 S cm^?1 at 90°C. These interpenetrating network membranes showed higher water stability than the pure acid polyimide membrane. This study shows that semi‐IPN SPI membranes based on PEGDA which gives hydrophilic group and structural stability can be available candidates comparable to Nafion® 117 over 70°C. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Structure effect on water diffusion and hygroscopic stress in polyimide films

A bending-beam technique has been used to in situ monitor the diffusion of water in various polyimide films. The polyimides studied are pyromellitic dianhydride-4.4′-oxydianiline (PMDA–ODA), pyromellitic dianhydride-p-phenylenediamine (PMDA–PDA), and 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride-p-phenylenediamine (BPDA–PDA), and their blends and random copolymers. The diffusion of water in these films obeys Fick's law. In PMDA–ODA, the mean diffusion constant is 5.2 ± 0.4 × 10^?9 (cm²/s) for thicknesses ranging from 6.7 to 27.3 μm. In PMDA–PDA, it is 2.0 ± 0.4 × 10^?9 (cm²/s) for thicknesses ranging from 7.3 to 20.0 μm, and in BPDA–PDA, 0.27 ± 0.02 × 10^?9 (cm²/s) for thicknesses ranging from 4.8 to 21.0 μm. In the blends and random copolymer with 50 wt % PMDA–ODA and 50 wt % PMDA–PDA, the diffusion constants are slightly smaller than those in the pure PMDA–ODA, but much larger than in the pure PMDA–PDA. On the contrary, in those with 50 wt % BPDA–PDA and 50 wt % PMDA–PDA, the diffusion constants are much smaller than those in the pure PMDA–PDA, but slightly larger than in the pure BPDA–PDA. These diffusion constants are primarily affected by the chemical structure of the imide molecule. The morphology, such as crystallinity, of the films has played a secondary factor. Hygroscopic stresses due to water uptake in all the studied films increase as the film thickness increases. It can be attributed to that the film orientation decreases with the increase of thickness.     

Surface properties and blood compatibility of some aliphatic/aromatic polyimide blends

Two binary polyimide (PI) blends having a common monomer, diamine and dianhydride, were prepared. The first system was composed of PIs obtained from an alicyclic and flexible dianhydride, namely 5‐(2,5‐dioxotetrahydrofurfuryl)‐3‐methyl‐3‐cyclohexene‐1,2‐dicarboxylic acid anhydride (DOCDA) and two aromatic diamines, 4,4′‐oxydianiline (ODA) and p‐phenylenediamine (PPD), respectively. In the second system, ODA was combined with DOCDA and (hexafluoroisopropyldiene)diphtalic dianhydride (6FDA). Incorporation of aliphatic and asymmetric DOCDA moieties, hexafluoropropyldiene groups and ether linkages in the molecular structure of PI blends, poly(DOCDA/PPD)/poly(DOCDA‐ODA) and poly(6FDA‐ODA)/poly(DOCDA‐ODA) influenced the surface tension parameters, surface and interfacial free energy, and the work of spreading of water, maintaining the surface hydrophobic characteristics of both systems. In addition, it has been found out that surface hydrophobicity and surface roughness are properties that can be correlated with the red blood cells and platelets compatibility. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2013. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers