Thermo-Processable Polyimides with HighTg and High Thermo-Oxidative Stability as Derived from 2,3,3′,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride

Abstract

Aromatic copolyimides were prepared using 2,3,3′,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (asymmetric BPDA or a-BPDA) and several aromatic diamines with flexible ether linkages to obtain melt-processable polyimides (PIs) with balanced properties, i.e. high Tg, high thermo-oxidative stability, low melt viscosity, and sufficient toughness. The use of a-BPDA for the present purpose is based on our previous results which showed that a-BPDA-based PIs always show both higher Tg and much higher thermoplasticity than the corresponding symmetric BPDA-derived PIs. On the basis of the structure–property relationship, a copolyimide system was focused upon as a promising candidate. The molecular weight of the selected copolyimide was controlled using an end-capping reagent to balance between Tg, the melt viscosity, and toughness. The effect of the polymerization route (one-pot and two-step) on the properties was also discussed. An a-BPDA-based copolyimide accomplished a high Tg at 249 °C, a low melt viscosity of 8200 Poise at 400 °C, and high thermo-oxidative stability concurrently with considerably high film toughness (elongation at break = 66%).