2. Preparation of PMR polyimides

2.1 Product presentation

The nature of the basic monomers and the number of reaction mechanisms involved make these polymers extraordinarily complex in structure. What's more, the fact that reactions take place within the molds themselves, rather than in laboratory reactors, makes polymer reproducibility even more delicate. Even more so than for any other polymer, the resulting properties will be highly dependent on processing conditions. To illustrate the complexity of PMR polyimide chemistry, it is useful to know a few of the basic products and their possible combinations, without going into structural details.

PMR polyimides are synthesized by successive condensation and addition reactions of a mixture of three reactive monomers in solution, usually in methanol....