

FOLLOWUS
a.PCFM Lab, GD HPPC Lab, Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Centre for High-performance Organic and Polymer Photoelectric Functional Films, GBRCE for Functional Molecular Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Technologies, School of Chemistry, IGCME, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
b.Shenzhen Kuang-Chi Cutting-edge Technology Co., Ltd, Shenzhen 518057, China
ruopeng.liu@kuang-chi.com (R.P.L)
ceszy@mail.sysu.edu.cn (Y.Z.)
Received:16 April 2026,
Accepted:16 May 2026,
Online First:07 August 2026,
Published:05 September 2026
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Xing, X. Y.; Liu, X. E.; Liu, Z. C.; Li, C. Y.; Yu, X. Y.; Zhang, Y.; Huang, X. Z.; Liu, R. P.; Liu, S. W.; Zhang, Y. Enhancing processability of phenylethynyl-terminated imide oligomers and properties of cured polyimides via ―CF3 incorporation. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-026-3716-4
Xiao-Ying Xing, Xin-Er Liu, Zun-Chu Liu, et al. Enhancing Processability of Phenylethynyl-terminated Imide Oligomers and Properties of Cured Polyimides
Xing, X. Y.; Liu, X. E.; Liu, Z. C.; Li, C. Y.; Yu, X. Y.; Zhang, Y.; Huang, X. Z.; Liu, R. P.; Liu, S. W.; Zhang, Y. Enhancing processability of phenylethynyl-terminated imide oligomers and properties of cured polyimides via ―CF3 incorporation. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-026-3716-4 DOI:
Xiao-Ying Xing, Xin-Er Liu, Zun-Chu Liu, et al. Enhancing Processability of Phenylethynyl-terminated Imide Oligomers and Properties of Cured Polyimides
Advanced aerospace technologies demand polymer-based wave-transparent materials with low dielectric constant (
D
k
)
low dissipation factor (
D
f
)
and high heat resistance for hypersonic vehicles. Thermosetting polyimides (PIs) from phenylethynyl-terminated imide (PETI) oligomers are promising candidates due to their excellent thermal stability; however
their application is limited by high
D
k
and
D
f
at high frequencies and processing difficulties. Here
a series of PETI oligomers were designed and synthesized by polycondensation of 9
9-bis(3
4-dicarboxyphenyl)fluorene dianhydride containing a Cardo structure
and six diamine monomers
respectively. The diamines were divided into three pairs by backbone flexibility
with each pair comprising a non-fluorinated diamine and its trifluoromethyl (―CF
3
) substituted analog. The effects of c
hain segment flexibility and ―CF
3
substitution on the processability of the oligomers and the properties of the cured PIs were systematically investigated. Results show that oligomers with ―CF
3
groups exhibit enhanced solubility and improved viscosity stability at 270 °C compared to their non-fluorinated counterparts. Moreover
the corresponding cured resins show lower
D
k
and
D
f
values while maintaining good thermal stability and mechanical properties. Notably
the BPAF-FA system exhibits favorable properties: an oligomer solubility of 40 wt% in NMP
and a minimum melt viscosity of 5.61 Pa·s;
D
k
=2.953
D
f
=0.0098 (at 50% RH)
T
g
=403 °C. Mechanistic analysis indicates that these improvements result from the synergistic effects of the intrinsic characteristics of ―CF
3
groups (steric hindrance
electron-withdrawing effect
low polarizability
and hydrophobicity) and their role in influencing chain flexibility
symmetry
and molecular packing. These findings provide valuable guidance for the design of high-temperature-resistant
low-dielectric wave-transparent composite materials.
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