Dianhydride Monomers Research Articles

Experiment and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies of 3,3′,4,4′‐Biphenyltetracarboxylic Dianhydride‐Based Transparent Polyimide Films Containing Ether and Sulfone Linkages in the Diamine Monomer

ABSTRACTIn this study, we report experimental observations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation results for two transparent polyimide (PI) systems that use 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) as the dianhydride monomer and bis[4‐(4‐aminophenoxy)phenyl] sulfone (p‐BAPS) and bis[4‐(3‐aminophenoxy)phenyl] sulfone (m‐BAPS), which contain both ether (O) and sulfone (SO2) groups, as the diamine monomers. FT‐IR structural analysis clearly shows that the PI films used in this study were successfully synthesized and fabricated. In addition, the DSC and TGA analysis results clearly indicate that the PI film based on BPDA/p‐BAPS has a higher Tg and greater thermal stability than the PI film based on BPDA/m‐BAPS, which appears to be due to the structural differences in the benzene ring substitution of the diamine monomers on p‐BAPS and m‐BAPS. Additionally, the two PI films fabricated in this study exhibited relatively high transmittance, ranging from 85% to 87% at 500 nm. Finally, although small‐scale MD simulations were performed in this study, it was nonetheless confirmed that the overall motion of PI molecules and gases within the amorphous PI cell can be influenced by the structural characteristics of diamine monomers such as p‐BAPS and m‐BAPS.

The influence of diamine structure on low dielectric constant and comprehensive properties of fluorinated polyimide films

Three kinds of polyimide (PI) films with low dielectric constant and excellent comprehensive properties were prepared by polycondensation reaction employing 6FDA as the dianhydride monomer and 6FODA, TFMB and 6FDAM as the diamine monomers, respectively. The effects of diamine moieties on the low dielectric constant and comprehensive properties were investigated by experiments and theoretical simulations. All three PI films show excellent high temperature resistance. For instance, the 5 % weight loss temperature ranges from 495 to 511 °C, and the Tg from 305.5 to 347.2 °C. 6FDA/6FODA exhibits a higher dielectric constant (k) compared with the other two PIs because of low free volume fraction and low rotating energy barrier of torsion angle for 6FODA moieties. 6FDA/TFMB exhibits ultra-low k (1.84 at 104 Hz) being benefit from its high free volume fraction caused by the strong rigidity of molecular chain. Despite having the highest free volume fraction among the three PIs, 6FDA/6FDAM exhibits a slightly higher dielectric constant than 6FDA/TMFB due to the fact that the torsion angle for 6FDAM moieties has low rotating energy barrier, which is beneficial for improving the molecular polarizability. Meanwhile, all the PI films show excellent transparency in the visible light range as well as excellent mechanical properties. The results indicate that the microstructure of PI can be effectively adjusted, thus achieving an ultra-low k and excellent comprehensive properties by rationally designed diamine moiety.

One-pot aqueous-phase synthesis of polyimides from typical monomers

One-pot aqueous-phase synthesis of polyimides (PIs) offers great economic and environmental benefits and improves the hydrolytic stability of the precursor (polyamic acid) obviously. However, this method is only suitable for the polymerization of very limited dianhydride and diamine monomers up to now. In this study, the most commonly used dianhydrides and diamines for the preparation of commercially available PI products were selected for one-pot aqueous-phase synthesis of various polyamic acid salts (PAAS). The effects of the structure of monomers, the reaction temperature and the adding process of the organic base on the polymerization reaction were explored by rotational rheology, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The polymerization products obtained via the aqueous-phase route show high molecular weight when the reaction conditions have been optimized. Various PI films prepared by the thermal imidization of corresponding PAAS demonstrate good optical transparency, excellent thermal stability, and outstanding mechanical and electrical properties. This work proposes the reaction mechanism of PAAS via one-pot aqueous-phase route and utilizes this novel polymerization strategy to synthesize high-molecular-weight PIs from typical aromatic dianhydride and diamine monomers.

Preparing efficient self-healing polyimide coating for enhancing stability of electromagnetic interference shielding film

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding films were widely utilized in various electronic devices, but they were prone to damage and performance degradation in harsh environments. Therefore, it was urgent to maintain stable performance of EMI shielding films. In this work, we adopt the reactions between aldehyde-modified diamine monomers and dianhydride monomers with dynamic imine bond to successfully prepare a self-healing PI (SHPI) film. Benefit from dynamic imine and imide bond, the SHPI film possessed excellent thermal stability (T5 %=527.7°C), tensile strength (72 MPa) and self-healing efficiency (94.4 %). As protecting coating layer, the SHPI film was able to maintain the commercial aluminized polyimide (PI/Al) film with good EMI shielding performance in acid environment. The electromagnetic shielding film with self-healing coating still had average EMI shielding effectiveness value of 44.5 dB after exposed to 10 % concentration nitric acid solution for 30 min. It is noteworthy that when damaged by external forces, the electromagnetic shielding film with self-healing coating could achieve rapid healing, while the tensile strength was up to 87 MPa and the self-healing efficiency reached 92.5 %. This work provided an effective self-healing protective layer for EMI shielding material against corrosion in acidic environments and damage from external pressures.

Boosting of Redox-Active Polyimide Porous Organic Polymers with Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes towards Pseudocapacitive Energy Storage.

Redox-active porous organic polymers (POPs) demonstrate significant potential in supercapacitors. However, their intrinsic low electrical conductivity and stacking tendencies often lead to low utilization rates of redox-active sites within their structural units. Herein, polyimide POPs (donated as PMTA) are synthesized in situ on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) from tetramino-benzoquinone (TABQ) and 1,4,5,8-naphthalene tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PMDA) monomers. The strong π-π stacking interactions drive the PMTA POPs and the MWCNTs together to form a PMTA/MWCNT composite. With the assistance of MWCNTs, the stacking issue and low conductivity of PMTA POPs are well addressed, leading to the obvious activation and enhanced utilization of the redox-active groups in the PMTA POPs. PMTA/MWCNT then achieves a high capacitance of 375.2 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 as compared to the pristine PMTA POPs (5.7 F g-1) and excellent cycling stability of 89.7% after 8000 cycles at 5 A g-1. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and in situ Fourier-Transform Infrared (FT-IR) results reveal that the electrode reactions involve the reversible structural evolution of carbonyl groups, which are activated to provide rich pseudocapacitance. Asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs) assembled with PMTA/MWCNTs and activated carbon (AC) offer a high energy density of 15.4 Wh kg-1 at 980.4 W kg-1 and maintain a capacitance retention of 125% after 10,000 cycles at 5 A g-1, indicating their good potential for practical applications.

Design of novel silicon-containing alkynyl diamines and their related thermosetting polyimide resins

In order to improve the PI resin’s processability and thermal properties, a novel diamine monomer bis(p-aminophenylethynyl)dimethylsilane was designed and synthesized by introducing silicon and alkyne groups in this paper. And a new thermosetting polyimide resin SiOPI with silicon and alkynyl structures in the main chain was prepared using 4,4′-oxobis (phthalic anhydride) (ODPA) as the dianhydride monomer with this diamine monomer. The structures of the diamine monomer and the polyimide were characterized by H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), mass spectrometry (MS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The incorporation of silyl groups into the PI increases the flexibility of the resin and provides good solubility and processability. The SiOPI is well soluble in DMF, DMSO and THF. The resin has a viscosity of less than 200 Pa·s at 50–88°C and has a wide processability range. By virtue of the introduction of alkyne groups, the cured polyimide forms dense reticulated structures, analogous to the benzene ring, giving the resin excellent heat resistance and mechanical property. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of SiOPI reached 367°C, and the heat loss temperature at 5% (Td5) is 540.9°C, the heat loss temperature at 10% (Td10) is 592.2°C, and the residual carbon rate at 800°C (R800°C) is 65.76% in a nitrogen atmosphere. The tensile strength of c-SiOPI is 257.6 MPa at room temperature and 232.9 MPa with a retention rate of 90.41% at 300°C, respectively.

Super-flexible and low-shrinkage polyimide aerogel composites with excellent thermal insulation: Boosted by SiO2 micron aerogel powder

Polyimide (PI) aerogel composites were synthesized using 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl ether (ODA) and 1,3-bis(4-aminophenoxy)neopentane (BAPN) as diamine monomers, and biphenyl-3,3′,4,4′-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) as dianhydride monomers. This study examined the impact of varying proportions of SiO2 micron aerogel powder and the addition of BTC on the properties of the composites. The prepared composites showed ultra-high flexibility (180° folded) with the thickness of 3–4 mm, high thermal stability (95 % weight retention at 501 °C) and thermal insulation performance with ultralow thermal conductivity of 0.033 W/(K·m).

Investigation of branched sulfonated polyimide membranes containing self-synthesized trianhydride monomer for vanadium flow battery via a combined theoretical-experimental strategy

In this work, a new branched trianhydride monomer 1,3,5-tris(4-naphthyloxy-1,8-diacid) phthalic anhydride is established for improving the chemical/dimensional stability and proton conduction of the branched sulfonated polyimide (BSPI) membrane for application in vanadium flow battery (VFB). Compared with linear SPI-60 membrane containing conventional dianhydride monomer 1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetra-carboxylic dianhydride, BSPI-60 membrane exhibits remarkable resistance to vanadium ions, proton conduction and structural stability. Besides, the challenge of simultaneously improving vanadium ions resistance and proton conductance is tackled. The proton selectivity of BSPI-60 membrane achieves 1.11 × 105 S·min/cm3, which is 2.8 and 2.5 times higher than both SPI-60 (0.39 × 105 S·min/cm3) and commercial Nafion 212 (0.44 × 105 S·min/cm3) membranes, respectively. At the same time, BSPI-60 membrane exhibits higher coulomb efficiencies (97.2 %–99.3 %) and energy efficiencies (85.6 %–69.5 %) compared those of SPI-60 and Nafion 212 membranes at 100–300 mA/cm2. Remarkably, the 500 cycles of BSPI-60 membrane at 140 mA/cm2 are also stably executed. The internal reasons for enhanced chemical/dimensional stabilities and proton conduction of BSPI-60 membrane are clarified from theoretical calculations with mean square displacement value, fractional free volume and natural bond orbital charge via density functional theory and molecular dynamics simulation. Our study encompasses not only the synthesis of a novel branched trianhydride monomer but also the development of a BSPI membrane with a unique molecular structure specifically designed for VFB applications.

Adhesion and Transparency Enhancement between Flexible Polyimide-PDMS Copolymerized Film and Copper Foil for LED Transparent Screen.

With the increasing demand for innovative electronic products, LED transparent screens are gradually entering the public eye. Polyimide (PI) materials combine high temperature resistance and high transparency, which can be used to prepare flexible copper-clad laminate substrates. The physical and chemical properties of PI materials differ from copper, such as their thermal expansion coefficients (CTEs), surface energy, etc. These differences affect the formation and stability of the interface between copper and PI films, resulting in a short life for LED transparent screens. To enhance PI-copper interfacial adhesion, aminopropyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) can be used to increase the adhesive ability. Two diamine monomers with a trifluoromethyl structure and a sulfone group structure were selected in this research. Bisphenol type A diether dianhydride is a dianhydride monomer. All three of the above monomers have non-coplanar structures and flexible structural units. The adhesion and optical properties can be improved between the interface of the synthesized PI films and copper foil. PI films containing PDMS 0, 1, 3, and 5 wt% were analyzed using UV spectroscopy. The transmittance of the PI-1/3%, PI-1/5%, PI-2/3%, and PI-2/5% films were all more than 80% at 450 nm. Meanwhile, the Td 5% and Td 10% heat loss and Tg temperatures decreased gradually with the increase in PDMS. The peel adhesion of PI-copper foil was measured using a 180° peel assay. The effect of PDMS addition on peel adhesion was analyzed. PIs-3% films had the greatest peeling intensities of 0.98 N/mm and 0.85 N/mm.

Molecular design of free volume structure in thermally rearranged polybenzoxazole membranes for gas separation studied by positron annihilation

AbstractIn this work, 2,2‐bis(3‐amino‐4‐hydroxyphenyl) hexafluoropropane (APAF) was used as the fixed diamine monomer, and 4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene) diphthalic anhydride (6FDA), 4,4′‐oxydiphthalic anhydride (ODPA), 3,3′,4,4′‐biphenyltetracarboxylic diandhydride (BPDA) and pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) were selected as four different dianhydride monomers, respectively, to prepare the thermally rearranged polybenzoxazole (TR‐PBO) gas separation membranes with different structures via a thermal rearrangement reaction at 450°C. The microstructure of TR‐PBO membranes was investigated using X‐ray diffraction and positron annihilation spectroscopy. All the TR‐PBO membranes exhibit bimodal free volume structure, containing ultramicropores (<0.7 nm) and micropores (<2 nm) with size of 3.6–4.6 and 7.6–8.4 Å, respectively. As the steric hindrance of the bridging groups in the dianhydride monomers increases, the radius and number of pores in the membranes increases, leading to an increase in fractional free volume (FFV). The pure gas permeation test shows a positive correlation between gas permeability and FFV in the TR‐PBO membranes, indicating that an increase in FFV is favorable for the diffusion of gas molecules. Particularly, the ultramicropores play a decisive role on the gas selectivity. All the TR‐PBO membranes exhibit excellent gas permeaselectivity. Among them, the H2/CH4 separation performance of APAF‐6FDA and APAF‐ODPA membranes approaches the 2008 Robeson upper bound, which is due to the high number of both micropores and ultramicropores. Our results demonstrate that the free volume structure of polymer membranes can be designed by selecting monomers with different structures and utilizing thermal rearrangement reactions, allowing for the preparation of gas separation membranes with high permeability and selectivity.

Hierarchical Polyimide Microparticles with Controllable Morphology.

Hierarchical polyimides (PIs) not only show outstanding thermal stability and high mechanical strength but also have great advantages in terms of microstructure and surface area, which makes them highly valuable in various fields such as aerospace, microelectronics, adsorption, catalysis, and energy storage. However, great challenges still remain in the synthesis of hierarchical PIs with well-defined microstructure. Herein, polyamide acid salts (PAAS) with tunable ionization degree are synthesized first via the polymerization of dianhydride and diamine monomers in deionized water with 1,2-dimethylimidazole (DMIZ). Then cationic cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) is added to the PAAS aqueous solution to induce the formation of polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes based on electrostatic interaction. After a typical hydrothermal reaction (HTR) procedure, hierarchical PIs with different microstructures such as urchin-like PI microparticles, flower-like PI microparticles, and lamellar PI petals can be fabricated simply by changing the additive amount of DMIZ and CTAC. The nanostructure self-assemblies of PAAS are dominated by the charges on macromolecular chains and the formation of hierarchical structures of polymers is ascribed to a geometrical selection process during crystal growth. This work provides valuable insights into the self-assembly behaviors of polyelectrolyte systems for synthesizing well-defined hierarchical polymers.

Monomer Dependence of Colorless and Transparent Polyimide Films: Thermomechanical Properties, Optical Transparency, and Solubility.

Six poly(amic acid)s (PAAs) were synthesized by reacting bis(3-aminophenyl) sulfone with various dianhydride monomers such as pyromellitic dianhydride, 4,4'-biphthalic anhydride, dicyclohexyl-3,4,3',4'-tetracarboxylic dianhydride, 4,4'-oxidiphthalic anhydride, 3,3',4,4'-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride, and 4,4'-(hexafluoroisopropylidene) diphthalic anhydride. These PAAs were then converted to polyimide (PI) films by thermal imidization at various temperatures. To obtain colorless and transparent PI (CPI), the dianhydride monomer used in this study had an overall bent structure, a structure containing a strong electron-withdrawing -CF3 substituent or an alicyclic ring. In addition, some monomers contained ether or ketone functional groups in their bent structures. The thermomechanical properties, optical transparency, and solubility of CPI films with six different dianhydride monomer structures were investigated, and the correlation between the monomer structure and CPI film properties was clarified. Overall, CPI with an aromatic main chain structure or a linear structure had excellent thermal and mechanical properties. In contrast, CPI with a bent structure containing functional groups or substituents in the main chain exhibited excellent optical transparency and solubility.

Rigid and crosslinkable polyimide curing epoxy resin with enhanced comprehensive performances

The flammability and hydrophilicity of epoxy resins hinder their applications in the high-tech fields of aerospace and electronics. To break these limitations, a highly rigid and hydrophobic polyimide structure has been designed as the harder for epoxy resins. This diamine monomer polyimide (PI–OH) featured a new spiral fluorene-xanthene core doubly grafted phenolic hydroxyl units, to match the commercial bi-trifluoromethyl dianhydride monomer. The curing performance of the polyimide PI-OH was studied in a concentration gradient fashion with the epoxy resin N, N, N′, N′-tetraglycidyl-4, 4′-diaminodiphenylmethane (TGDDM), and compared to the benchmark curer 4, 4′-diaminodiphenyl sulfone (DDS). Due to the unique structural rigidity of spiral crosslinks and the compatibility of the polyimide, the cured PI-OH/TGDDM exhibited Young's modulus of 6.18 GPa and a hardness of 480 MPa, 27.7% and 42.3% higher than that of DDS/TGDDM, demonstrating excellent comprehensive performance. The introduction of PI-OH also reduced the curing temperature with higher curing activity. Resin with 40% loading of the polyimide reached a residual carbon rate of 49.0% at 700 °C (under nitrogen), presenting flame retardancy superior to DDS/TGDDM. Furthermore, the involvement of trifluoromethyl groups reduced the surface free energy and hydrophilicity, lowering the water absorption rate for the modified epoxy resin. This study opens an avenue for comprehensively improving the performance of epoxy resins at lower curing temperatures, which has broad application prospects in aerospace and motor vehicle fields.

Improved capacitive energy storage performance in hybrid films with ultralow aminated molybdenum trioxide integration for high-temperature applications.

Dielectric capacitors play a pivotal role in advanced high-power electrical and electronic applications, acting as essential components for electrical energy storage. The current trend towards miniaturization in electronic devices and power systems highlights the increasing demand for scalable, high-performance ultra-thin dielectric films with a high-temperature stability. While significant progress has been made in enhancing the discharged energy density (Ue) of dielectric polymers at elevated temperatures, such advancements have faced certain challenges. Herein, an innovative molecular engineering approach for the bonding of amine-functionalized molybdenum trioxide (A-MoO3) with the dianhydride monomer of polyetherimide (PEI) is presented, leading to a reduction in conduction loss and the substantial enhancement in storage energy density under high-temperature and high-field conditions. It is revealed that charge redistribution at the bonding sites induces a subtle variation in the potential energy, creating an in-built electric field between the PEI matrix and A-MoO3 based on density functional theory (DFT) analyses. The observed phenomenon leads to an increase in the electron barrier, effectively inhibiting the release of trapped electrons. Notably, at conditions of 200 °C and 100 Hz, the PEI/A-MoO3 hybrid film demonstrates a notable Ue at η > 90%, reaching up to 5.53 J cm-3, surpassing the performance of many current dielectric polymers and composites. Furthermore, the hybrid film's exceptional cycling durability, coupled with its ability to be fabricated into large-area, uniform-quality films, underscores its potential in the development of dielectric energy storage devices tailored for extreme environments.

Synthesis of an Aliphatic Dianhydride Monomer and Its Colourless, Low Dielectric Constant Aliphatic Polyimides

Synthesis of an Aliphatic Dianhydride Monomer and Its Colourless, Low Dielectric Constant Aliphatic Polyimides

Enhancing the mechanical and dielectric properties of high thermally stable polyimides via a crosslinkable bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-7-ene-2,3,5,6-tetracarboxylic dianhydride monomer

Polyimides (PIs) have attracted great attention because of their excellent properties and applications in areas such as flexible display substrates, microelectronics, and integrated circuits. The effects of crosslinking on the thermal, mechanical, and dielectric properties of PIs, however, still require further investigation. In this work, we introduce a crosslinkable monomer, bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-7-ene-2,3,5,6-tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (BTA), which contains double bonds, into the system consisting of cyclobutane-1,2,3,4-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (CBDA) and 4,4′-oxydianiline (ODA) for the synthesis of PI films. The obtained PIs are further crosslinked by free radical reactions using a crosslinking agent, 1,3,5-triallyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)-trione (TAIC) to form three crosslinked PI materials, PI-TAIC-5%, PI-TAIC-10%, and PI-TAIC-15%. The resulting all three crosslinked PI films exhibit excellent thermal properties with their glass transition temperatures (Tg) higher than 400 °C. For the mechanical properties, the formation of the rigid network structure leads to an improvement in their tensile strengths and Young's moduli. The introduction of 10 mol% TAIC in the PI (PI-TAIC-10%) shows the highest tensile strength (114.77 MPa), representing an 18.6% enhancement in comparison with that of the original PI material. In terms of dielectric properties, the crosslinking reactions effectively increase the free volumes between the polymer chains and reduce the molecular dipole moments. As a result, PI-TAIC-15% significantly reduces the dielectric properties, resulting in a decrease in the dielectric constant (Dk, from 3.42 to 3.15) and the dielectric loss (Df, from 3.67 × 10−2 to 2.58 × 10−2) under 10 GHz frequency. As far as the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) results, the formation of the network structure in PI-TAIC-15% restricts the movement of the polymer chains, leading to a 15% reduction in the CTE value than that of the non-crosslinked PI film. Overall, this work provides a promising strategy to optimize the mechanical and dielectric properties of high thermally stable PIs via crosslinking reactions.

Synthesis and comparative study of thermoplastic polyetherimides derived from hydroquinone diphthalic anhydride isomers with tert-butyl group

Two isomeric dianhydride monomers, 1,4-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy)-2-tert-butylbenzene dianhydride (4,4′-TBHQDA) and 1,4-bis(2,3-dicarboxyphenoxy)-2-tert-butylbenzene dianhydride (3,3′-TBHQDA), were successfully synthesized from tert-butylhydroquinone and nitrophthalonitrile. Two series of polyetherimides (PEIs) were synthesized by chemical imidization using the above dianhydrides with four common commercially available diamines. The effects of dianhydrides with isomerization and tert-butyl group on the thermal properties, optical properties, melt processability, solubility, and mechanical properties of PEIs were systematically studied. Among them, PEI-2(a-d) derived from 3,3′-TBHQDA displayed better comprehensive performance than other PEIs, which showed well Tgs at 234–261 ℃, good optical properties of 82–86 % at 450 nm, extremely low melt viscosities of 30–59 Pa·s at 400 ℃, excellent solubility and good mechanical properties (tensile modulus of 2.7–3.5 GPa, tensile strengths of 90–97 MPa and elongations at break of 3.4–4.8 %).

Enhanced Interfacial and Dielectric Performance for Polyetherimide Nanocomposites through Tailoring Shell Polarities

Polyimide (PI) and its derivative polyetherimide (PEI) have been widely investigated as promising candidates for dielectric energy storage due to their excellent intrinsic features. However, most of the current research for PI- or PEI-based dielectric nanocomposites only focuses on a certain polar group contained in a dianhydride monomer, while there are very few studies on exploring the effect of a series of polar groups derived from various dianhydride monomers on the dielectric properties of nanocomposites. To fill this gap, we herein fabricated and investigated a series of novel hyperbranched polyimides grafted on barium titanate nanoparticles (HBPI@BT) using different dianhydride monomers and their nanocomposites with the PEI matrix. The results showed that sophisticated hyperbranched structures effectively alleviated the incompatibility between fillers and the matrix, thus significantly improving the bonding energy of nanocomposites, especially for HBPI-S@BT/PEI (797.7 kJ/mol). The Ud of HBPI-S@BT/PEI reached 8.38 J/cm3, which is 3.3 times higher than that of pure PEI. The HBPI-F@BT/PEI nanocomposites achieved high breakdown strength (∼500 MV/m) and low dielectric loss (0.008) simultaneously. The dielectric constants of HBPI@BT/PEI nanocomposites remained at a stable level from 25 to 150 °C. This work provides us promising hyperbranched structured materials for potentially advanced dielectric applications such as field effect transistors.

Colorless and transparent poly(amide imide) nanocomposites containing organically modified hectorite.

Polyamic acid (PAA) was synthesized using the diamine monomer N,N'-[2,2'-bis(trifluoromethyl)-4,4'-biphenylene]bis(4-aminobenzamide) and dianhydride monomer 4,4'-oxydiphthalic anhydride. Colorless and transparent poly(amide imide) (CPAI) hybrid films were prepared via multi-step thermal imidization of PAA in which various contents of nano-filler were dispersed. The CPAI hybrid films were prepared by dispersing organoclay STN, which was obtained by organically modifying hectorite, in CPAI by solution intercalation with various contents ranging from 1 to 7 wt%. The thermomechanical properties, morphologies, and optical transparencies of the obtained CPAI hybrid films were investigated based on the dispersed STN content, and the results were compared. Some of the clay in the CPAI hybrid film were agglomerated, which was observed using a transmission electron microscope; however, most clays were well-dispersed, with a nano-size of less than 10 nm. The best thermomechanical properties of the CPAI hybrid film were exhibited with an STN content of 3 wt%, but these properties decreased above the critical content. The coefficients of thermal expansion of all the hybrid films were below 20 ppm per °C regardless of the amount of STN, and the yellow index was 1-2 even when the STN content increased to 7 wt%.

Fabrication of porous polyimide as cathode for high performance lithium-ion battery.

Herein, we report the preparation of porous polyimide (PI) with a cost-effective synthesis process by polycondensation between melamine and dianhydride monomers. The prepared porous PI served as a cathode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), and delivers a high discharge platform of 2.1 V and satisfactory electrochemical performance. Thus, the porous PI cathode provides another choice for LIBs.