Isomer effects on polyimide properties

The effect of structure variation on the solubility and glass-transition temperature of polyimide polymers is investigated. The addition of alkyl substituents to an aromatic ring in the polymer molecule, the reduction in the number of imide rings per average polymer chain-length, and a variation in the symmetry of the polymer molecule are studied. The synthesis of key intermediates for the preparation of the monomers required in this investigation is reported along with progress made in the synthesis of polyimide-precursor amines that contain functional groups to allow for post-cure cross-linking.