Comparisons of the Properties of Crosslinked Colorless and Transparent Polyimide Films with Two Different Catalysts

Abstract

A poly(amic acid) (PAA) was prepared by the reaction of bicyclo(2,2,2)oct-7-ene-2,3,5,6-tetracarboxylic-dianhydride (BCD), containing double bonds for crosslinking, and bis[4-(3-aminophenoxy)phenyl] sulfone (BAPS) in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc). The PAAs were heat-treated with two different catalysts, alpha,alpha'-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) and Grubb's catalyst, as crosslinking agents to create crosslinked, colorless, and transparent polyimide (CPI) films. The thermal properties, degree of crosslinking, and optical transparency of the CPI were investigated by increasing the catalyst content from 0 to 0.10 wt%. We also tried to clarify the catalytic effects of the two catalysts (AIBN and Grubb's) on CPI films. The CPI film with the catalyst had better thermal property than pure CPI; in contrast, the addition of the catalyst to the CPI film was found to deteriorate the optical property. The thermal property and optical transparency of the CPI films with two different catalysts were found to be almost similar.