Synthesis of New Polyimide Nanofoams as a candidate for Thermal Insulating Material

Synthesis of high temperature polyimide foams with pore sizes in the nanometer rang was developed. Foams were prepared by casting graft copolymers comprising a thermally stable block as the matrix and a thermally labile material as the dispersed phase. Polyimides derived from pyromellitic dianhydride with new diamines were used as the matrix material and functionalized poly(ropylene glycol) oligomers were used as a thermally labile constituent. Upon thermal treatment the labile blocks were subsequently removed leaving pores with the size and shape of the original copolymer morphology. The polyimides and foamed polyimides were characterized by some conventional methods.