• Polymer(Korea)
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.97-107
• /
• 2006

In spite of excellent thermomechanical performance the majority of aromatic polyimides are so poor in processability due to their high backbone rigidity that their applications are greatly limited. The introduction of long side chains not only enhances their processiblity but also makes useful contribution to discovering new application fields. In this article, a variety of novel aromatic polyimides with flexible side chains were prepared either from new dimines or new dianhydrides to measure the influence of the side chains on structure and properties of the polymers and their new applications as liquid crystal alignment layers, photosensitive polymers, alternating multilayer nano-films and photoluminescent materials are discussed.