Abstract
While aromatic polyimides and polyamides have found widespread use as high performance polymers, the present work addressed the need for organosoluble materials through the use of a hyperbranching scheme. The $AB_2$ monomers were prepared. The $AB_2$ monomers were then polymerized via aromatic fluoride-displacement and Yamazaki reactions to afford the corresponding hydroxyl-terminated hyperbranched polyimides (HT-PAEKI) and amine-terminated hyperbranched polyamides, respectively. HT-FAEKI was then functionalized with allyl and propargyl bromides as well as epichlorohydrin to afford allyl-terminated AT-PAEKI, propargyl-terminated PT-PAEKI, and epoxy (glycidyl)-terminated ET-PAEKI, in that order. All hyperbranched poly(ether-ketone-imide)s were soluble in common organic solvents. AT-PAEKI was blended with a bisphenol-A-based bismaleimide (BFA-BMI) in various weight ratios. Thermal, rheological, and mechanical properties of these blend systems were evaluated. Two characteristic hyperbranched polyamides, which the one has para-electron donating groups to the surface amine groups and the other has para-electron withdrawing groups to the surface amine groups, were selected to compare BMI curing behaviors. The electron rich polymer displayed ordinary Michael addition type exothermic reaction, while electron deficient polymer did display unusual curing behaviors. Based on analytical data, the later system provided the strong evidences to support room temperature curing of BMI by reactive intermediates instead of reactive primary amine groups on the macromolecule surface.