New Silicon-Containing Poly(Imide-Amide)s

New aromatic silicon-containing poly(imide-amide)s have been synthesized by solution polycondensation of various aromatic diamines having ether bridges between phenylene rings with a diacid chloride containing silicon. These polymers are easily soluble in polar amidic solvents such as N-methyl-pyrrolidinone or dimethylformamide and can be cast into thin flexible films or coatings from such solutions. They show high thermal stability, with an initial decomposition temperature above 410°C and a glass transition temperature in the range of 251-285°C. Very thin polymer films deposited by the spincoating technique onto silicon wafers showed a smooth, pinhole-free surface in atomic force microscopy investigations.