Higher Tensile Modulus Research Articles

Recycling Polymer Blend made from Post-used Styrofoam and Polypropylene for Fuse Deposition Modelling

Fuse deposition modelling (FDM) has become a revolutionary manufacturing technology as it offers numerous advantages, including freedom of fabrication, mass customisation, fast prototyping, and cost-effectiveness. Thermoplastic material is commonly used as feedstock for FDM process. The current state of material development, the recycled plastic material also can be used as printing material for FDM machine. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) has been extensively used as packaging materials for many industries but rarely be recycled, as its relatively large volume with minimal weight is unconducive for transportation. This research aimed to utilize EPS waste and turn it into FDM feedstock. This research also aims to enhance the properties of recycled polystyrene (rPS) made from EPS waste by blending it with polypropylene (PP). Different ratios of rPS/PP blends were prepared and extruded into FDM filament using filament extruder. The formulated filaments were printed into specimen using FDM machine. This research found the filament made from rPS/PP blends can be printed into specimen with good printing quality if the nozzle temperature controlled at 240° C with 120 % extrusion rate. With this printing parameter, the specimen printed with rPS/PP blend filament exhibit the greatest adhesion between the deposited layers without any visible voids or gaps. Besides, the printed specimen with rPS/PP blends possess lower tensile strength, but higher tensile modulus as compared to the printed specimen with neat rPS. The addition of more PP decreased both tensile strength and modulus of rPS/PP blends. On the other hand, the rPS/PP blends have higher thermal stability as the PP content increased. Overall, the rPS/PP blends filament shows a great potential as a feedstock material for FDM fabrication.

Synthesis and properties of poly(ethylene‐co‐diethylene glycol 2,5‐furandicarboxylate) copolymers

AbstractPoly(ethylene 2,5‐furandicarboxylate) (PEF) is a biobased polyester with high gas barrier properties, tensile modulus, and strength. In PEF chain, in addition to ethylene furandicarboxylate repeat unit, there is also a small amount of diethylene glycol furandicarboxylate (DF) unit which is formed by etherification side reactions. However, the effect of DF unit in a wide composition range on polymer properties is still unclear. In this study, random poly(ethylene‐co‐diethylene glycol 2,5‐furandicarboxylate) (PEDF) copolymers were synthesized via melt copolycondensation of 2,5‐furandicarboxylic acid, ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol. The copolymers were characterized and evaluated by intrinsic viscosity, 1H NMR, thermal transition, thermogravimetric analysis, tensile, impact, and O2 penetration tests. The copolymers are amorphous in the full composition range. The presence of less than 58 mol% DF unit in PEDFs neither improves the tensile ductility nor deteriorates the oxygen barrier performance, but reduces the glass transition temperature clearly. In comparison with poly(ethylene terephthalate), the PEDF copolymers containing <58 mol% DF unit have higher tensile modulus, strength, and O2 barrier properties.

Flexible, transparent, strong and high dielectric constant composite film based on polyionic liquid coated silver nanowire hybrid

High dielectric constant films with excellent flexibility, transparency and high strength are key materials for flexible electronic devices. Herein, a novel kind of functional hybrid (AgNW@PIL) was synthesized by forming a layer of polyionic liquid (PIL) on surfaces of silver nanowires (AgNWs), which was then added into poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) to develop a series of unique high dielectric constant films (AgNW@PIL/PVDF-HFP). Comprehensive performances of AgNW@PIL/PVDF-HFP films were studied and compared with those of AgNW/PVDF-HFP films and related composite films in literature. With the increase of AgNW@PIL content, the dielectric constant and mechanical strength significantly improve, while the light transmittance gradually decreases. At the same filler content and frequency, AgNW@PIL/PVDF-HFP has higher dielectric constant, lower dielectric loss, higher light transmittance and better mechanical properties than AgNW/PVDF-HFP. The mechanism behind these attractive results is contributed to different microstructures between AgNW/PVDF-HFP and AgNW@PIL/PVDF-HFP. Specifically, different from AgNW, AgNW@PIL has good dispersibility in PVDF-HFP, and form more micro-capacitor structure and good interface polarization effect; besides, PIL coating plays a significant role in suppressing the dielectric loss of composite films. AgNW@PIL/PVDF-HFP with only 0.4 wt% AgNW@PIL simultaneously has high tensile modulus (1152.2 MPa), high tensile strength (30.9 MPa) and large elongation at break (181.0%).

Fabrication and Supercapacitor Applications of Multiwall Carbon Nanotube Thin Films

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are a one-dimensional nanomaterial with several desirable material properties, including high mechanical tensile modulus and strength, high electrical conductivity, and good thermal conductivity. A wide variety of techniques have been optimized to synthesize MWCNTs and to fabricate thin films of MWCNTs. These synthesis and fabrication methods vary based on precursor materials, process parameters, and physical and chemical principals, and have a strong influence on the properties of the nanotubes and films. Thus, the fabrication methods determine the performance of devices that can exploit the advantageous material properties of MWCNTs. Techniques for the fabrication of carbon nanotubes and carbon nanotube thin films are reviewed, followed by a discussion of the use of MWCNTs as an electrode material for electrochemical double-layer supercapacitors (EDLCs). EDLCs feature high power density, excellent reversibility and lifetime, and improved energy density over electrolytic capacitors. Beyond surveying fabrication techniques previously explored for MWCNT electrodes, an alternative approach based on inkjet printing capable of depositing a small amount of active material is discussed. Such an approach allows for a high degree of control over electrode properties and can potentially reduce cost and active material waste, which are essential components to the gradual conversion to green energy.

Surface Modified Nanocellulose and Its Reinforcement in Natural Rubber Matrix Nanocomposites: A Review.

Natural rubber is of significant economic importance owing to its excellent resilience, elasticity, abrasion and impact resistance. Despite that, natural rubber has been identified with some drawbacks such as low modulus and strength and therefore opens up the opportunity for adding a reinforcing agent. Apart from the conventional fillers such as silica, carbon black and lignocellulosic fibers, nanocellulose is also one of the ideal candidates. Nanocellulose is a promising filler with many excellent properties such as renewability, biocompatibility, non-toxicity, reactive surface, low density, high specific surface area, high tensile and elastic modulus. However, it has some limitations in hydrophobicity, solubility and compatibility and therefore it is very difficult to achieve good dispersion and interfacial properties with the natural rubber matrix. Surface modification is often carried out to enhance the interfacial compatibilities between nanocellulose and natural rubber and to alleviate difficulties in dispersing them in polar solvents or polymers. This paper aims to highlight the different surface modification methods employed by several researchers in modifying nanocellulose and its reinforcement effects in the natural rubber matrix. The mechanism of the different surface medication methods has been discussed. The review also lists out the conventional filler that had been used as reinforcing agent for natural rubber. The challenges and future prospective has also been concluded in the last part of this review.

Photo-cross-linked Gelatin Glycidyl Methacrylate/N-Vinylpyrrolidone Copolymeric Hydrogel with Tunable Mechanical Properties for Ocular Tissue Engineering Applications

Corneal transplantation is currently the primary treatment for corneal blindness. However, severe global scarcity of donor corneas is driving the scientific community to find novel solutions. One potential solution is to replace the damaged tissue with a biocompatible artificial cornea. Here, gelatin glycidyl methacrylate (GM) and N-vinylpyrrolidone (VP) were cocrosslinked to afford a hybrid bicomponent copolymeric hydrogel with excellent mechanical, structural, and biological properties. Our studies showed that the GM/VP ratio can be adjusted to generate a construct with high tensile modulus and strength of 1.6 and 1.0 MPa, respectively, compared to 14 and 7.5 MPa for human cornea. The construct can tolerate up to 22.4 kPa pressure before retention sutures can tear through it. Due to the presence of a synthetic component, it has a significantly higher stability against collagenase induced degradation, yet it is biocompatible and promotes cellular adhesion, proliferation, and migration under in vitro settings.

Synthesis of zwitterionic polymer and its application in textile stiffening finish

AbstractDevelopment of formaldehyde‐free stiffening finish agents is highly desirable in modern environmental‐friendly textile chemical processing technologies. Herein, two zwitterionic monomers are synthesized and used to synthesize a series of acrylate soap‐free emulsions. The prepared acrylate soap‐free emulsion was analyzed by nanoparticle size analyzer to determine grain size and PDI. The properties of polymer film obtained from emulsion were characterized by IR, DSC, and DMA. The results showed that zwitterionic monomer in acrylate emulsion can greatly improve the glass transition temperature (Tg) and initial tensile modulus of polymer film, and that ambient temperature had little effect on initial tensile modulus. It was found that when the amount of zwitterionic monomer is 3% of the total monomer dosage, the synthesized polymer emulsion can achieve the same stiffening effect as that of commercial stiffening agents. Meanwhile, the stiffness of finished fabric is less affected by the change in ambient temperature. The effective Tg increase and high initial tensile modulus of these zwitterionic polymers demonstrate their applicability in stiffening finish for seat belts.

High-performance hierarchical MnO2/CNT electrode for multifunctional supercapacitors

Supercapacitors possessing multiple functions other than storing energy, such as bearing mechanical loads, are a promising technology for a wide range of applications. However, achieving both energy storage efficiency and mechanical strength/stiffness requires structurally strong electrolytes and high-capacitance electrodes. Herein, we report a novel method of synthesizing a high-mass loading of MnO2 on carbon nanotube (CNT) mats to create nanocomposite electrodes of high capacitance and mechanical properties. With CNTs acting as structural reinforcement for the pseudocapacitive MnO2 matrix, the resulting nanocomposite electrodes exhibited an ultrahigh areal capacitance of 2579 mF/cm2 at a current density of 1 mA/cm2 and excellent mechanical properties. These electrodes were then used to fabricate flexible and mechanically strong structural supercapacitors by infusing with a PVA gel electrolyte and a PEGDGE solid electrolyte, respectively. The resulting flexible supercapacitors yielded a high areal capacitance of 947 mF/cm2 while the structural supercapacitors gave a high tensile modulus of 6.1 GPa. These results demonstrated that the hierarchical MnO2/CNT electrodes could provide both excellent energy storage capability and structural stiffness and strength, expanding their applications beyond mono-functional supercapacitors.

Determination of Tensile Properties for Twisted Fibre Bundles of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch at Different Diameters

The potential use of natural fibre extracted from oil palm empty fruit bunches has gained wide attention among researchers. This natural fibre comes from fibrous strands which form fibre bundle after shredding process at a mill. The measurement of tensile properties is important to understand the mechanical performance of this fibre bundle. This study was undertaken to determine the tensile properties of the fibre bundle from oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB). Fibrous strands of the OPEFB extracted from shredded empty fruit bunches were twisted to form fibre bundle specimens at different diameters varying from 1 to 5 mm. The tensile properties measured in this study including tensile strength, tensile load and tensile modulus. The measurements were performed using Instron Universal Test Machine (IUTM) model 5000. From the results, it was found that the specimens at 1 and 5 mm in diameter required 71.25 and 429.68 N of the tensile load to break, respectively. The specimen with 1 mm in diameter recorded the highest tensile strength of 90.72 MPa while the specimen with 5 mm in diameter recorded only 21.88 MPa. The highest tensile modulus with value of 662.50 MPa was obtained from the specimen with 1 mm in diameter while the specimen with 5 mm in diameter had the tensile modulus value of 157.47 MPa. It was also found that the tensile strength and tensile modulus decreased when the diameter of the specimens increased. The findings reported in this study can serve as an engineering basis for the design specification in the development of the future in-silo composting machine.

Tensile mechanical characteristics of ultra-thin carbon sulfur nanothreads in orientational order

Carbon sulfur nanothreads (CSNTs) mainly composed of two chiral long alkane chains have been recently fabricated from thiophene by a pressure-induced phase transition in low-temperature, but their mechanical properties remain unexplored. Here, the critical roles of morphology and temperature on the tensile characteristics of CSNTs are for the first time examined using molecular dynamic simulations with a first-principles-based ReaxFF forcefield. It is revealed that CSNTs exhibit high tensile Young's modulus, high tensile strength and excellent ductility, and their tensile properties are morphology and temperature dependent. Morphologically, atomic arrangement with various configurations makes every CSNTs possess unique mechanical properties. Thermally, as temperature varies from 1 to 1500 K, CSNTs become mechanically weakened. In comparison with conventional diamond nanothreads (DNTs) and carbon nitride nanothreads (CNNTs), CSNTs show distinct axial elongation mechanisms, with relatively insignificant changes in chemical bond orders and bond length in the skeleton prior to the final rupture. Instead, the stretching of bond angle and dihedral angle mainly contribute to the global axial elongation, while the torsional deformation is limited due to their perfect global symmetry in the configuration. This study provides fundamental insights into the mechanics of ultra-thin CSNT structures.

Pilot scale production and evaluation of mechanical and thermal properties of P(3HB) from Bacillus megaterium cultivated on desugarized sugar beet molasses

AbstractProduction of poly[(R)‐3‐hydroxyalkanoate] (PHA) biopolyesters must become more cost efficient in order to be competitive with conventional plastics as well as other bioplastics. This study introduces a simple and reproducible large‐scale production process of poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) P(3HB) with Bacillus megaterium based on desugarized sugar beet molasses and compares its material properties with commercially available types of PHA. A repeated batch cultivation system was evaluated in 1.2 L bioreactors and could be maintained for at least six cycles without a decrease in process stability, yielding a concentration of 20.4 g/L cell dry mass and 12 g/L P(3HB) per average process cycle. Feasibility of P(3HB) production was demonstrated at 500 L pilot scale to provide sufficient amounts of product for the determination of mechanical and thermal polymer properties. A volumetric productivity of 0.2 g L−1 h−1 was achieved. The resulting polymer exhibited a high tensile modulus of 3.73 GPa and tensile strength of 38.5 MPa. Despite a lower ductility and Vicat softening temperature, the properties of the recovered P(3HB) are comparable to commercial grade P(HB)HV polymers.

Development and characterisation of packaging film from Napier cellulose nanowhisker reinforced polylactic acid (PLA) bionanocomposites

A packaging material that is environment-friendly with excellent mechanical and physicochemical properties, biodegradable and ultraviolet (UV) protection and thermal stability was prepared to reduce plastic waste. Six different concentrations of Pennisetum purpureum/Napier cellulose nanowhiskers (NWCs) (i.e. 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 3.0 wt%) were used to reinforce polylactic acid (PLA) by a solvent casting method. The resulting bionanocomposite film samples were characterised in terms of their morphology, chemical structure, crystallinity, thermal degradation and stability, light transmittance, water absorption, biodegradability, and physical and mechanical properties. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy showed the excellent dispersion of NWC in the PLA matrix occurred with NWC concentrations of 0.5–1.5 wt%. All the bionanocomposite film samples exhibited good thermal stability at approximately 343–359 °C. The highest water absorption was 1.94%. The lowest transparency at λ800 was 16.16% for the PLA/3.0% NWC bionanocomposite film, which also has the lowest UVA and UVB transmittance of 7.49% and 4.02%, respectively, making it suitable for packaging materials. The PLA/1.0% NWC film exhibited the highest crystallinity of 50.09% and high tensile strength and tensile modulus of 21.22 MPa and 11.35 MPa, respectively.

Quantitative analysis of Raman spectral parameters for carbon fibers: practical considerations and connection to mechanical properties

Although the literature on the Raman spectra of carbon fibers is vast, no consistent, robust predictive relationship between mechanical properties of carbon fibers and spectral parameters exists. This shortcoming is due to the use of numerous fitting functions to evaluate Raman spectra of carbon fibers and the inconsistencies in establishing the best fitting models in a statistically robust fashion. To address this gap, we present a comprehensive work on the Raman spectra of carbon fibers that combines a vast library of experimental data with a robust numerical analysis and a statistical evaluation of a wide range of suggested fitting models. This manuscript begins with a brief review of the commonly applied fitting models. Then, the Raman spectra of 32 commercially available polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fibers collected at excitation wavelengths 532, 633, and 785 nm are presented and the best fit for all fibers is evaluated based on several statistical criteria in conjunction with numerical calculations and physical arguments. The results suggest that high-performance fibers must be fit with at least five peaks, whereas high-tensile modulus fibers are best fit with at least six distinct peaks. Finally, we employ simultaneous fitting of the Raman spectra of specific fibers and wavelengths and demonstrate that strong correlations exist between mechanical properties and the D1 peak position and shape across the range of evaluated mechanical properties. We suggest straightforward improvements in fitting analysis procedures that can be implemented to increase coherency in the understanding of the underlying carbon fiber microstructure intuited from Raman spectroscopy.

Conversion of silicon carbide fibers to continuous graphene fibers by vacuum annealing

Continuous graphene fibers (GFs) and graphene/SiC fibers (G/SiCFs) are fabricated from silicon carbide (SiC) fibers through vacuum annealing. The transformation gradually happens from the surface to the core of the fiber until complete conversion. Graphene sheets are in-situ formed after Si sublimation of 3C–SiC grains in the SiC fiber. Although porous structure is formed inevitably, the fiber shape is well maintained with circular cross section. The continuous GFs exhibit low density (1.63 g/cm3), excellent electric conductivity (53,900 S/m), high tensile strength (0.22 GPa) and elastic modulus (23 GPa, gauge length: 25 mm). Good properties can be probably attributed to interconnected graphene sheets. GFs have great electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness of 62.8 dB, while G/SiCFs have outstanding microwave absorption properties. The minimum reflection loss (RL) value of −54.86 dB is achieved with sample thickness of 2.1 mm. When sample thickness is 1.4 mm, the effective absorption bandwidth of G/SiCFs can reach 4.4 GHz. Excellent flexibility is also possessed by a bundle of 1000 graphene filaments. Taking advantages of the facile conversion of silicon carbide fibers, the method demonstrated in this work can be further extended to prepare metal-containing GFs (Ti, Al, Zr, et.) and achieve large-scale production.

Mechanical Properties and Thermal Analysis of Salago and Coir Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Resin Composites

The utilization of natural fibers in composites continues to increase due to their advantages over the synthetic fiber materials especially in terms of environmental impact and costs. One of the techniques that can be used to further enhance the properties of these natural fiber reinforced composites is through fiber hybridization. In this study, salago and coir fibers were reinforced in the epoxy resin to form a new hybrid composite. The salago to coir fiber weight ratios considered in the fiber hybridization were 3:1, 1:1 and 1:3. The performance of these hybrid fiber composites were compared to pure coir fiber composite and salago fiber composite in terms of impact strength, tensile properties and flexural properties. Among the hybrid fiber composites, the fiber weight ratio of 3:1 has the highest tensile strength (33.8 MPa), tensile modulus (3.57 GPa), flexural strength (44.2 MPa) and impact strength (42.3 J/m). It was found out that the addition of coir to this hybrid fiber composite improves the tensile strength by about 21.1 % as compared to the salago fiber composite. On the other hand, the addition of salago fiber to this hybrid fiber composite resulted to a higher tensile modulus (43.4 %) and impact strength (25.5 %) than the coir fiber composite. Moreover, the thermal analysis of the composites revealed a peak degradation temperature at around 370 °C which is associated to the decomposition of cellulose, hemicellulose and epoxy resin.

Effect of surface modification on mechanical properties of filature silk waste and nanoclay filler-based polymer matrix composite

Natural fibers have been attracting researchers and engineers as an alternative reinforcement of synthetic fibers in polymer composites due to their low cost, availability from natural resources, satisfactory high modulus and tensile strength, and biodegradability. Filature silk waste (FSW) is the remnant part of the cocoons which is produced during the silk forming process. The current study focuses on the comparison of tensile properties between untreated filature silk waste reinforced epoxy-based composite (UTFSWREC), 2 wt% alkali-treated filature silk waste reinforced epoxy-based composites (TFSWREC) and 2 wt% alkali-treated filature silk waste reinforced epoxy nanocomposites (TFSWRENC). The tensile properties showed that Young’s modulus of composites increases with surface modification of fiber and further enhances with nanoclay filler. TFSWREC and TFSWRENC displayed a higher tensile modulus than UTFSWREC. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) showed the removal of the sericin layer from the surface of fiber, which resulted in the separation of fibrils and further resulted in the enhancement of the mechanical properties. FTIR analysis confirmed that intermolecular bonding improves with the chemical treatment and further refined with nanoclay filler addition.

Study on 3D printed graphene/carbon fiber multi-scale reinforced PLA composites

In this work, the mechanical and interfacial properties of 3D-printed polyactic acid (PLA) were greatly enhanced through a multi-scale reinforcement technique. In particular, PLA was blended with carbon fiber (CF) and graphene oxide (GO) using a polybutylene succinate (PBS) toughening agent to yield a biodegradable composite with increased strength and tensile modulus. Mechanical enhancement was achieved by adding 0.5 wt% GO and 9 wt% CF, which we prepared through a mechanical stripping method. In comparison to pure PLA, the composite has a 73.33% higher tensile strength, 231.71% higher tensile modulus, and 89.83% higher bending strength. In comparison to CF/PLA, the composite has a 42.48% higher tensile strength, 128.51% higher tensile modulus, and 76.55% higher bending strength.

Design and characterization of a pneumatic muscle actuator with novel end-fittings for medical assistive applications

Pneumatic muscle actuators (PMA) are a class of soft actuators known for their high power to weight ratio and inherent compliance. The pneumatic muscle's inherent properties make them very favorable for assistive applications (e.g., medical exoskeletons). This study presents a novel end-fitting design that makes the developed pneumatic muscle actuator lightweight, cost-effective, and modular, thus simplifying the process of assembly and maintenance. The pneumatic muscle actuator assembled using the novel end fittings achieves a shorter overall length without compromising its contraction. The pneumatic muscle actuator has been assembled using a commercial bladder and a braided sleeve alongside a pair of 3D printed novel end-fittings. The paper also details the developed actuator's characterization for force and deflection parameters at various operating pressures. A total of four muscle actuators of varying diameters with constant actuation length (100 mm) were developed and tested to showcase the effect of size on the muscle actuator's behavior. The study presented here also involved comparing three mathematical models developed for pneumatic muscles in order to find a model which closely resembles the developed muscle actuator. Finally, the developed pneumatic muscle actuator's behavior is compared with a commercially available muscle to determine the efficacy of the developed muscle's design. The tests showed that the muscle using a bladder of smaller volume but higher tensile modulus had a higher accuracy and stable performance. As the muscle is intended for medical applications, it was also put through an endurance test with realistic loading and pressure conditions, which revealed very promising results.

Effects of Rice Straw Powder (RSP) Size and Pretreatment on Properties of FDM 3D-Printed RSP/Poly(lactic acid) Biocomposites

To develop a new kind of environment-friendly composite filament for fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing, rice straw powder (RSP)/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) biocomposites were FDM-3D-printed, and the effects of the particle size and pretreatment of RSP on the properties of RSP/PLA biocomposites were investigated. The results indicated that the 120-mesh RSP/PLA biocomposites (named 120#RSP/PLA) showed better performance than RSP/PLA biocomposites prepared with other RSP sizes. Infrared results showed that pretreatment of RSP by different methods was successful, and scanning electron microscopy indicated that composites prepared after pretreatment exhibited good interfacial compatibility due to a preferable binding force between fiber and matrix. When RSP was synergistically pretreated by alkaline and ultrasound, the composite exhibited a high tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, and flexural modulus of 58.59, 568.68, 90.32, and 3218.12 MPa, respectively, reflecting an increase of 31.19%, 16.48%, 18.75%, and 25.27%, respectively, compared with unmodified 120#RSP/PLA. Pretreatment of RSP also improved the thermal stability and hydrophobic properties, while reducing the water absorption of 120#RSP/PLA. This work is believed to provide highlights of the development of cost-effective biocomposite filaments and improvement of the properties of FDM parts.

Synthesis and properties of transparent random and multi-block polyamide-imide films with high modulus and low CTE

Two new series of transparent polyamide-imides (PAIs) with high modulus and low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) were prepared by random or block copolymerization of 4,4′-biphthalic dianhydride (BPDA) and p-phthaloyl chloride (TPC) with 2,2′-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzidine (TFDB). These series of PAIs displayed low CTE of 16–42 ppm/K, good mechanical properties with high tensile modulus ranging from 4.9 to 6.6 GPa, tensile strengths of 112–170 MPa and elongations at break of 2.0–5.4%, as well as high transparency with transmittances at 500 nm (T500nm) of 84–87%, which was greatly affected by the feed ratio of monomer BPDA & TPC, and the block length caused by block polymerization. The block copolymer PAI-3-B1 presented the best comprehensive performance with high transparency (T500nm) of 87%, low CTE of 16 ppm/K and high tensile modulus of 6.1 GPa.