MOLECULAR COMPOSITE .2. NOVEL BLOCK-COPOLYMER AND SEMIINTERPENETRATING POLYMER NETWORK OF RIGID POLYAMIDE AND FLEXIBLE POLYIMIDE

2,2'-Dimethyl-4,4'-diamino-biphenyl was used to prepare a lyotropic amine-terminated polyamide (PBTA) prepolymer with terephthaloyl dichloride, and an amide oligomer with reactive endcaps of maleimide, respectively. The former was employed in an attempt to increase the solubility of PA/PI block copolymers, and the latter to produce a three-dimensional (isotropic) reinforced molecular composite through the technology of a semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN). PBTA prepolymer was copolymerized with an amine-terminated polyimide via a coupling reaction using terephthaloyl dichloride. The resultant block copolymers were characterized by IR, NMR, eta(inh), and GPC to confirm that the copolymerization reaction was precisely accomplished, as well as to determine their composition and molecular weight. Thermal analysis and lyotropic behavior were also studied for these copolymers. Rigid-rod amide oligomer was crosslinked in the presence of another flexible polyimide. Five sets of semi-IPN films were prepared under varying compositions. The curing conditions were investigated by DSC; in addition, the cured semi-IPNs exhibited a single phase (1 T(g)) according to examination by an instrument for thermally stimulated current (TSC). No large-scale phase separation was observed in SEM images of the fractured surfaces. (C) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.