Soluble and transparent wholly aromatic polyamides (PAs) were synthesized from an unsymmetrical diamine monomer having trifluoromethyl (CF3) groups, 4-(4'-aminophenoxy)-3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)aniline. The monomer was polymerized with several dicarboxylic acid monomers via the Yamazaki-Higashi polycondensation method. All of the synthesized polyamides have an amorphous morphology, and they are soluble in many polar organic solvents at room temperature. Flexible and transparent films of the polyamides were prepared by solution casting and these polymer films show good optical transparencies with cut-off wavelengths of 337-367 nm and transparencies of 88%-90% at 550 nm. In addition, all the polymers were thermally stable over 400 °C and exhibited glass transition temperatures (Tg) higher than 300 °C. Unsymmetrically inserted trifluoromethyl groups on polyamides improves the solubility as well as the transparency of the polymers while maintaining good thermal properties. They also showed low refractive indices around 1.5333~1.5833 at 633 nm owing to the existence of low polarizable trifluoromethyl groups.
Keywords: high temperature polymer; polyamides; trifluoromethyl group.