[Back]

D. Cerron Infantes, M. M. Unterlass:
"Fluorescent Polyimide Films from Aqueous Monomer Salt Solutions";
Poster: Polycondensation 2018, Alexandria, USA; 2018-10-14 - 2018-10-17.

Polyimide (PI) films are much applied in electronics for insulating electrically conducting
parts, as they feature both low dielectric constants and high thermal stability.[1] Unfortunately, for
their lack of melting and often also T_g as well as their insolubility, PIs can typically not be
processed by conventional routes such as injection molding or film casting from solutions.[2] To
circumvent this issue, processable prepolymers of the poly(amic acid) type, PAAs, are used for
generating a desired form, and this form is then cured to PI by heating. On the downside, PAAs
are only soluble in toxic and expensive solvents such as dimethylformamide (DMF).
We here present an alternative route: We designed a series of monomer salts that are watersoluble
over a large concentration range, hence allowing for solution processing using nothing but
the monomers and water. To our own surprise, several of the PI films generated from aqueous
monomer salt solutions exhibit solid-state fluorescence, which we believe to be interesting for e.g.
sensing applications.
[1] W. Volksen, R. D. Miller, G. Dubois, Chem. Rev. 2010, 110, 56 - 110.
[2] P. M. Hergenrother, High. Perform. Polym. 2003, 15, 3 - 45.