Triptycene Polyimides: Soluble Polymers with High Thermal Stability and Low Refractive Indices

A series of soluble, thermally stable aromatic polyimides were synthesized using commercially available five- and six-membered ring anhydrides and 2,6-diaminotriptycene derivatives. All of these triptycene polyimides (TPIs) were soluble in common organic solvents despite their completely aromatic st...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sydlik, Stefanie Arlene, Chen, Zhihua, Swager, Timothy M
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies
Format: Article
Language:en_US
Published: American Chemical Society (ACS) 2012
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/74566
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2163-7337
Description
Summary:A series of soluble, thermally stable aromatic polyimides were synthesized using commercially available five- and six-membered ring anhydrides and 2,6-diaminotriptycene derivatives. All of these triptycene polyimides (TPIs) were soluble in common organic solvents despite their completely aromatic structure due to the three-dimensional triptycene structure that prevents strong interchain interactions. Low solution viscosities (0.07−0.47 dL/g) and versatile solubilities allow for easy solution processing of these polymers. Nanoporosity in the solid state gives rise to high surface areas (up to 430 m[superscript 2]/g) and low refractive indices (1.19−1.79 at 633 nm), which suggest very low dielectric constants at optical frequencies. Polymer films were found to be amorphous. The decomposition temperature (T[subscript d]) for all of the polymers is above 500 °C, and no glass transition temperatures can be found below 450 °C by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), indicating excellent prospects for high-temperature applications. This combination of properties makes these polymers candidates for spin-on dielectric materials.