Microwave-Assisted Aqueous Polyimidization Using High-Throughput Techniques

High‐throughput methodology, as used in pharmaceutical drug discovery, was successfully applied to high performance polyimide development. Using a Biotage® microwave reactor fitted with a flask handling robot and a high‐throughput approach, we have optimized a copolyimide material with high Tg, yet maintaining solution processability. Additionally, the development time for this material has been reduced from months to just weeks. The polyimide was produced using combinations of the monomers 4,4′‐ODA, 6‐FDA and PMDA. The optimal combination was found to be 2:1:1 of 4,4′‐ODA/6‐FDA/PMDA with a molecular weight (MW) of 31 500 and Tg of 347 °C. The resulting polymer can be solution‐cast into strong, flexible membranes for solution and gas phase separations.