Comparison of Homo-Polyimide Films Derived from Two Isomeric Bis-Benzimidazole Diamines.

Heteroaromatic polyimides (PIs) containing benzimidazole have attracted tremendous attention due to their positive impact on the properties of PIs. Some research on PIs containing 4,4'-[5,5'-bi-1 H -benzimidazole]-2,2'-diylbis-benzenamine ( 4-AB ) has been reported. However, reports are lacking on homo-polyimides (homo-PIs) containing 3,3'-[5,5'-bi-1 H -benzimidazole]-2,2'-diylbis-benzenamine ( 3-AB ), which is one of the isomers of 4-AB . In this paper, the influence of amino groups' positions on the performance of homo-PIs was investigated. It was found that the net charge of the amine N group in 4-AB was lower than that of 3-AB , resulting in higher reactivity of 4-AB . Consequently, PIs containing 4-AB displayed better mechanical performance. Molecular simulation confirmed that 3-AB and its corresponding PI chain exhibited distorted conformation, leading to the PI films containing 3-AB having a lighter color. In addition, the 3-AB structure was calculated to have higher rotational energy compared to 4-AB , resulting in a higher glass transition temperature ( T g ) in PIs prepared from 3-AB . On the other hand, PIs containing 4-AB exhibited a higher level of molecular linearity, leading to a lower coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) compared to PIs prepared from 3-AB . Furthermore, all PIs showed higher thermal stability with a 5% weight loss temperature above 530 °C and T g higher than 400 °C.