Synthesis and Characterization of New Polyimides Containing Bis(ether amine)s Moieties

Polyimides have been of great attention in engineering and microelectronics for a number of applications due to their unique property combinations [1,2]. Although exceptionalthermal stability is complemented by outstanding mechanical and electrical performance, their insolubility in common organic solvents and their high glass transition and softening temperatures make these systems difficult to process andfabricate. To circumvent these problems, solutions of polyimides would be desirable instead of precursors. Flexible links (e.g., -O-, - SO2-, -CH2-) or bulky groups (hexafluoroisopropylidene,isopropylidene, etc.) are commonly employed as solubilizing moieties, but it often costs in thermal stability and chainstiffness of polyimides. Alternatively, the solubilizing units may be derived from substituted biphenyls, increasing entropy factors due to rotational isomerism of benzene rings relative to an aryl-aryl bond [3,4].