Durable Polyimide Films for High-Performance Use

Introduction

This nanostructured thermoplastic polyimide film technology is engineered to meet the needs of industries that require high-performance materials with exceptional durability, flexibility, and heat resistance. Its unique composition makes it ideal for use in critical applications, including electronics, aerospace, and automotive sectors, where materials must endure harsh conditions while maintaining structural integrity. For companies looking to advance their product offerings with a cutting-edge material, this polyimide film delivers unmatched performance and adaptability.

The Challenge: Balancing Strength and Flexibility

In industries like electronics and aerospace, materials must be both incredibly strong and flexible, capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and mechanical stress. Traditional thermoplastics may offer strength or flexibility, but rarely both, and can struggle to maintain performance under high heat or demanding conditions. As products become more advanced, the materials used to create them must evolve to meet higher standards of durability, efficiency, and resilience. The challenge for many manufacturers is finding a material that offers all these qualities without sacrificing production efficiency or increasing costs.

Thermoplastic Polyimide Films: A Superior Solution

This nanostructured thermoplastic polyimide film solves these challenges by offering a material that is both strong and flexible, with the added benefit of heat resistance. These films can withstand high temperatures without degrading, making them ideal for use in electronics, aerospace, and automotive applications where heat and pressure are constant concerns. The nanostructured design enhances the film’s durability, providing greater resistance to wear and tear, while maintaining the flexibility needed for complex designs and structures. This adaptability makes the films suitable for use in high-performance packaging, insulation, and protective coatings as well.

Key Advantages Across Multiple Sectors

In the electronics industry, these films provide reliable insulation for advanced circuitry, protecting sensitive components from heat and environmental factors. Aerospace companies benefit from the films’ lightweight yet durable properties, which enhance the performance of aircraft components exposed to extreme conditions. Automotive manufacturers can use the material to create parts that maintain their strength and shape even under continuous mechanical stress. The flexibility and heat resistance also make these films ideal for packaging applications where product protection is critical.

Invest in Future-Ready Materials

Licensing this durable polyimide film technology positions your company at the forefront of advanced material science. Whether your focus is on electronics, aerospace, automotive, or high-performance packaging, this technology offers a unique solution that enhances product durability, efficiency, and adaptability. As industries push for materials that can perform under increasingly challenging conditions, these thermoplastic polyimide films deliver the strength, flexibility, and heat resistance needed to stay ahead. This is an opportunity to drive innovation and meet the future demands of advanced manufacturing with a material that offers superior performance and reliability.

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Abstract
Claims

Structured films containing multi-walled carbon nanotubes (“MWCNTs”) have enhanced mechanical performance in terms of strength, fracture resistance, and creep recovery of polyimide (“PI”) films. Preferably, the loadings of MWCNTs can be in the range of 0.1 wt % to 0.5 wt %. The strength of the new PI films dried at 60° C. increased by 55% and 72% for 0.1 wt % MWCNT and 0.5 wt % MWCNT loadings, respectively, while the fracture resistance increased by 23% for the 0.1 wt % MWCNTs and then decreases at a loading of 0.5 wt % MWCNTs. The films can be advantageously be created by managing a corresponding shift in the annealing temperature at which the maximum strength occurs as the MWCNT loadings increase.

The invention claimed is:

1. A polyimide (PI) polymer/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) film produced by the following steps:

a) dry mixing PI powder with unbundled multi-walled carbon nanotubes using a high-speed shear mixer at about 3500 rpm, wherein the MWCNT is present at about 0.1 weight percent to about 0.5 weight percent, and wherein the PI has an average particle size of about 100 pm;

b) milling the mixture from step a) with cross-linked polystyrene beads for about 6 minutes in 30 second intervals to allow for heat dissipation generated by the beads to disperse the MWCNTs into a PI polymer c) adding the PI polymer to a solvent selected from N-methylpyrrolidinone or tetrahydrofuran or mixtures thereof;

d) mixing for about 24 hours by stirring;

e) spin coating the mixture from step d) and;

f) annealing the mixture by placing in a vacuum oven to dry at a temperature from about 60° C. to about 250° C. to form the PI/MWCNT film, wherein the film when tested has a tensile strength of about 70.4-83.7 MPa when annealed at about 60° C. and at a thickness of about 50-100 p.m.

2. The film of claim 1 wherein the PI polymer comprises MATRIMID® 9725.

3. A polyimide (PI) polymer/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) film, produced by the following steps:

c) adding the PI polymer to a solvent selected from N-methylpyrrolidinone or tetrahydrofuran or mixtures thereof;

d) mixing for about 24 hours by stirring;

e) spin coating the mixture from step d) and;

f) annealing the mixture by placing in a vacuum oven to dry at a temperature from about 60° C. to about 250° C. to form the PI/MWCNT film, wherein the film when tested has a fracture resistance of about 3.16-4.16 MPam when annealed at about 60° C. and at a thickness of about 50-100 μm.

4. The film of claim 3 wherein the PI polymer comprises MATRIMID® 9725.

Title

Nanostructured thermoplastic polyimide films

Inventor(s)

Heshmat AGLAN

Assignee(s)

Tuskegee University

Patent #

10907026

Patent Date

February 2, 2021