Intrinsically photosensitive polyimides: Approaches to fluorinated homologs

Abstract

AbstractCyclobutane tetracarboxylic acid dianhydrides, which were prepared via photodimerization of maleic anhydride or methylmaleic anhydride, gave high molecular weight film‐forming polyimides with oxydianiline. The resulting polyimides were found to be photosensitive, presumably because of retrocyclization of the cyclobutane ring. Despite the presence of the cyclobutane ring, the polyimides show good thermal stability. In an effort to enhance the thermal stability and lower the dielectric constant of these polyimides, an approach was made to prepare the fluorinated analogs of the cyclobutane dianhydride monomers via the preparation and photodimerization of fluorinated maleic anhydride derivatives. Thus, both fluoromaleic and difluoromaleic anhydrides were photolyzed to give the target monomers. The proposed application of these monomers, however, has yielded disappointing results due to complications in their synthesis and attempted polymerization.