PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF NOVEL SOLUBLE AROMATIC POLYIMIDES FROM 4,4'-DIAMINOTRIPHENYLAMINE AND AROMATIC TETRACARBOXYLIC DIANHYDRIDES

New aromatic polyimides containing triphenylamine unit were prepared by two different methods, i.e., a conventional two-step method starting from 4,4'-diaminotriphenylamine and aromatic tetracarboxylic dianhydrides and the one-step thioanhydride method starting from the aromatic diamine and aromatic tetracarboxylic dithioanhydrides. Both procedures yielded high-molecular-weight polyimides with inherent viscosities of 0.47-1.17 dL/g. Some of these polymers were soluble in organic solvents such as N,N-dimethylacetamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, m-cresol, and pyridine. All the polyimides afforded transparent, flexible, and tough films, and the color varied from pale yellow to dark red, depending markedly on the tetracarboxylic acid components. The glass transition temperatures (T(g)s) of these polyimides were in the range of 287-331-degrees-C and the 10% weight loss temperatures were above 520-degrees-C in air. The polyimides prepared by the one-step method exhibited better solubility in organic solvents and had somewhat lower T(g)s than the polymers prepared by a conventional two-step method.