Preparation, characterization and thermal degradation study of poly(amide imide)s based on tri-component mixture of PMDA/BTDA, diamines and acid chloride

Abstract

A series of poly(amide imide)s (PAIs) having alternate (amide–amide) and (imide–imide) units (polymers 1–14 and 22–35), and random distribution of amide-imide linkages (polymers 15–21 and 36–42) were prepared by low temperature solution polymerization of benzene-1,2,4,5-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PMDA)/benzophenone-3,3′,4,4′-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA), diamines (cyclic and aromatic) and acid chloride in dimethylforamide. All the polymers were readily soluble in polar aprotic solvents with inherent viscosities in the range of 0.134–0.878. The process of cycloimidization of poly(amide amic acid)s (PAAs) to PAIs was investigated by TGA and FT-IR techniques at four different temperatures i.e., 175, 200, 225, and 260 °C. The rate of cycloimidization was calculated by taking into account the theoretical weight loss (WT), obtained from [n × Mw (H2O)/Mw (RU)] W, where Mw (H2O) molecular weight of water, W weight of PAA taken for TGA, Mw (RU) the molecular weight of repeat unit of PAA, n number of water molecules eliminated per repeat unit of PAA upon cycloimidization. For a particular diamine, the extent of percentage cycloimidization at the end of the isothermal heating was higher for PAAs containing trimellitic anhydride chloride (TMAc) unit, irrespective of the nature of the dianhydride and diamine. Thermal and thermooxidative degradation of PAIs was investigated by TGA in nitrogen and oxygen atmosphere. The initial decomposition temperatures (IDT) of polymers are above 260 °C, and vary widely (from 260 to 501 °C) depending upon the structure of the polymer backbone. PAIs containing TMAc exhibited higher thermal stability as compared to those polymers having diacid chloride units, in both N2/O2 atmospheres.