Acetylene-terminated imide oligomers

About 1970, research was initiated under Air Force funding on acetylene-terminated imide oligomers (ATI) which could be thermally chain extended through the acetylenic end-groups (33, 34). This effort resulted in the development of HR-600 (Eq. 9) and subsequent commercialization by Gulf Oil Chemicals Company in the form of Ther-mid -600. Neat resin properties of HR-600 are presented in Table IV while preliminary composite properties are given in Table V. 

The idea of synthesizing imide oligomers which carry acetylenic terminations appeared attractive because homopolymerization through acetylenic endgroups occurs without any volatile evolution and provides materials with good properties. Landis et. al (8,9) published the synthesis of such acetylene terminated imide oligomers from benzophenone tetracarboxylic anhydride, aromatic diamine and 3-ethynylaniline via the classical route. As usual, the amide acid is formed as an intermediate which, after chemical cyclodehydration, provides the polymide. Since ethynyl-terminated polyimide is used as a matrix resin for fiber composites, processing is possible via the amide acid, which is soluble in acetone, or via the fully imidized prepolymer, which is soluble in NMP. The chemical structure of the fully imidized ethynyl-terminated polyimide is provided in Fig. 44. 

St. Clair [36] synthesized and evaluated the properties of a semi-2-IPN comprising Thermid 600 (an acetylene terminated imide oligomer from National Starch and Chemical Company) and LaRC-TPI (a thermoplastic polyimide with a Tg of 257 °C). The composition having the ratio of 65 35 of thermosetting Thermid 600 to LaRC-TPI showed the best flexural strength at ambient temperature [36]. 

Starting materials and solvents were purchased from Aldrich Chemical Co. acetonitrile (ACN), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) were obtained anhydrous in Sure/Seal bottles and used as received. The polyamic acid of PMDA-ODA (2545 Pyralin) was supplied by DuPont. The soluble polyimide XU-218, derived from 3,3, 4,4 -benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) and diamino-1,1,3-trimethyl-3-phenylindan isomers (DAPI) was purchased from Ciba-Geigy Corp. The acetylene terminated imide oligomer powder (Thermid MC-600) derived from BTDA, aminophenylacetylene, and 1,3-bis (2-aminophenoxy) benzene (APB) was obtained from National Starch and Chemical Company. Kapton Type II (PMDA-ODA) films were obtained from DuPont Co., Apical polyimide films were obtained from Allied Corp., and Upilex Type-S and Type-R polyimide films derived from 3,3, 4,4 -biphenyl tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) plus p-phenylenediamine (PDA) and ODA, respectively were obtained from ICI Americas Inc. 

Around 1970, the US Air Force funded a program on acetylene terminated imide oligomers and the first patent was filed by Hughes Aircraft [67] and has been described in the literature [68]. Benzophenone tetracarboxylic anhydride was condensed with an aromatic diamine and 3-ethynylaniline to give either an amide acid soluble in acetone, or a fully imidized structure, soluble in NMP. 

The ethynyl terminated imide oligomer work was initially reported in 1974. Neat resin and composite " properties for cured acetylene terminated imide oligomers have been reported. These materials were initially designated HR-600 and later Thermid -600 (60). The ethynyl terminated imide oligomer in structure 8 is representative of this class... 

St. Clair et used the concept of sequential semi-IPNs to produce two unique IPNs which are based on acetylene-terminated imide oligomers and thermoplastic polyimides, particularly a material designated LARC-TPI. Pater and others used the concept of simultaneous semi-IPNs to make semi-IPNs which are based on PMR-15 mixed with such materials as LARC-TPI, NR150B2 and Thermid 600 polyimides. Other examples of semi-IPNs which fit into the category of high temperature materials include thermoplastic modified bismaleimides (BMI). As one example, BMI has been mixed with condensation polyimides such as PI20280 or with terminated poly (arylene ether ketone) oligomers. The observed miscibility in semi-IPNs which are based on thermoplastic BMIs was found to be further improved when a BMI and thermoplastic both prepared from aromatic diamines were blended. ... 

Of all the thermosetting imide oligomers discussed in this article, the totally aromatic acetylene terminated imides are the most promising because their... 

The key to acetylene terminated polyimides is the availability of the end-capper which carries the acetylene group. Hergenrother (130) published a series of ATI resins based on 4-ethynylphthalic anhydride as endcapping agent. This approach first requires the synthesis of an amine-terminated amide acid prepolymer, by reacting 1 mole of tetracarboxylic dianhydride with 2 moles of diamine, which subsequently is endcapped with 4-ethynylphthalic anhydride. The imide oligomer is finally obtained via chemical cyclodehydration. The properties of the ATI resin prepared via this route are not too different from those prepared from 3-ethynylaniline as an endcapper. When l,3-bis(3-aminophenox)benzene was used as diamine, the prepolymer is completely soluble in DMAc or NMP at room temperature, whereas 4,4 -methylene dianiline and 4,4 -oxydianiline based ATIs were only partially soluble. The chemical structure of ATIs based on 4-ethynylphthalic anhydride endcapper is shown in Fig. 45. 

The Michael addition reaction of dimercaptodiphenylether with N-(3-ethynyl phenyl) maleimide allowed the synthesis of ethynyl-terminated imido-thioether as shown in Fig. 50 (139). This acetylene terminated imidothioether was blended with acetylene terminated polyarylene ether oligomers of different molecular weights and tested as composite resins (140). Blends of functionalized thermoplastics such as the acetylene terminated polyarylene ethers with brittle high-Tg imide resins are finding increased attention for tough high-Tg composites. 

Sefcik and coworkers [80] were the first to use solid-state NMR to study the curing of poly(imide) oligomers terminated with reactive groups. The authors observed a clearly-resolved peak at 84 ppm in the spectrum of the unreacted poly(imide) resin, Thermid 600, due to terminal acetylene groups. On curing at 450-640 K, the decrease in intensity of this peak allowed facile... 

Polyimides have been cured by synthesizing acetylene-terminated oligomers containing finished imide groups, and these have shown excellent heat resistance, as discussed above (Sec. 3.1.6.3.2). 

Addition-type polyimides, which are thermosetting resins, were developed to improve the processability of polyimides, but their thermal stability is severely degraded by the presence of aliphatic bonds in place of the aromatic nuclei. However, the adhesive strength has been evaluated for the bismaleimide- (Section 4.3.4.1), bisnadimide- (Section 4.3.4.2) and acetylene-terminated (Section 4.3.4.3) imide oligomers. 

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