Some aromatic polyimides based on diamines containing hydrazo group and ether linkages

Three new hydrazo-bridged diamines, 4,4′-bis [4-(4-aminophenyloxy) phenylhydrazyl] biphenyl (BPD-2), 4,4′-bis [4-(4-aminophenyloxy) phenylhydrazyl] biphenyl ether (SPD-2) and 4,4-bis [4-(4-aminophenyloxy) phenyl] hydrazine (APD-2), were synthesized by the reduction of three azo-diols, 4,4′-bis (4-azo-1-hydroxyphenyl) biphenyl (BPD), 4,4′-bis (4-azo-1-hydroxyphenyl) biphenyl ether (SPD) and azo-4-hydroxybenzene (APD), and polymerized with pyromellitic dianhydride (PM), 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenone tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (BP) and 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (PR) either by one-step solution polymerization or by two-step procedure which includes ring-opening polyaddition to give poly(amic acid) followed by cyclic dehydration to polyimide. The monomers and polyimides were characterized by their elemental analyses, FTIR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. Glass transition temperatures of the polymers are quite high (175–310 °C), characteristic of polyimides. The decomposition temperatures for 10% weight loss fall in the range of 280–575 °C in nitrogen. Activation energies of pyrolysis for each of the polymers calculated from Horowitz and Metzger's method are also high (52.54–95.28 kJ mol −1). The inherent viscosities of the polyimides at a concentration of 0.5 g/dl in DMF range from 0.94 to 1.93 dl/g.