Combining Matrix Flexibility and Synthesis Approaches as a Design Strategy for Tailored Polyimide Nanocomposites with Fe2O3 and Al2O3

Alexandra L. Nikolaeva; Alexander N. Bugrov; Veronika O. Vinogradova; Ivan V. Abalov; Elena N. Popova; Elena M. Ivan’kova; Vladimir E. Yudin; Victor M. Nazarychev

doi:10.1007/s10118-026-3785-4

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Combining Matrix Flexibility and Synthesis Approaches as a Design Strategy for Tailored Polyimide Nanocomposites with Fe₂O₃ and Al₂O₃

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2026-09-24

- Combining Matrix Flexibility and Synthesis Approaches as a Design Strategy for Tailored Polyimide Nanocomposites with Fe₂O₃ and Al₂O₃
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Pages: 1-11(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  a.Branch of Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute named by B.P. Konstantinov of National Research Centre «Kurchatov Institute» - Institute of Macromolecular Compounds, Saint Petersburg 199004, Russia
  b.Saint Petersburg Electrotechnical University (ETU "LETI"), Ul. Professora Popova 5, Saint Petersburg 197022, Russia
- Author bio：
  
  Alexandra.l.nikolaeva@gmail.com
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-026-3785-4
  CLC：
- Received：04 March 2026，
  
  Accepted：16 June 2026，
  
  Online First：24 September 2026，
  
  Published：2026-08
- Accepted：
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Nikolaeva, A. L.; Bugrov, A. N.; Vinogradova, V. O.; Abalov, I. V.; Popova, E. N.; Ivan’kova, E. M.; Yudin, V. E.; Nazarychev, V. M. Combining matrix flexibility and synthesis approaches as a design strategy for tailored polyimide nanocomposites with Fe₂O₃ and Al₂O₃. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-026-3785-4

Alexandra L. Nikolaeva, Alexander N. Bugrov, Veronika O. Vinogradova, et al. Combining Matrix Flexibility and Synthesis Approaches as a Design Strategy for Tailored Polyimide Nanocomposites with Fe₂O₃ and Al₂O₃[J/OL]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 441-11. DOI: 10.1007/s10118-026-3785-4.
Nikolaeva, A. L.; Bugrov, A. N.; Vinogradova, V. O.; Abalov, I. V.; Popova, E. N.; Ivan’kova, E. M.; Yudin, V. E.; Nazarychev, V. M. Combining matrix flexibility and synthesis approaches as a design strategy for tailored polyimide nanocomposites with Fe₂O₃ and Al₂O₃. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-026-3785-4 DOI：

Alexandra L. Nikolaeva, Alexander N. Bugrov, Veronika O. Vinogradova, et al. Combining Matrix Flexibility and Synthesis Approaches as a Design Strategy for Tailored Polyimide Nanocomposites with Fe₂O₃ and Al₂O₃[J/OL]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 441-11. DOI: 10.1007/s10118-026-3785-4. DOI：

摘要

Abstract

The performance of polyimide (PI) nanocomposites is strongly dependent on both the matrix structure and degree of filler dispersion. This study compares the efficacy of mechanical mixing versus

in situ

polycondensation as methods for incorporating Fe

and Al

nanocrystalline particles into PI matrices with varying flexibility of macrochains that have different dianhydride fragments based on either pyromellitic acid (PMDA) or 1

3-bis(3′

4-dicarboxyphenoxy)benzene acid (R)

with the same diamine: 4

4′-oxydianiline (ODA). Comprehensive characterisation using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the chemical and crystalline structures of the polymers and the inorganic fillers

respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis demonstrated that the

in situ

method provided significantly more homogeneous particle distribution within the matrix

reducing the agglomeration observed with mechanical mixing. This facilitated adding more filler into the PIs

which in turn enhanced key properties of the materials. For example

a semi-flexible-chain PMDA-ODA-based composite with 7 wt% of Fe

prepared

in situ

exhibited a 19% increase in rigidity relative to the host polymer. In contrast

the mechanically mixed counterpart demonstrated only a 6% increase in Young’s modulus relative to the matrix. Meanwhile

the tensile strength of the

in situ

prepared composite is approximately the same as that of the corresponding matrix polymer

whereas for the mechanically mixed composite it decreases by about 20%. For Al

-containing composites

materials based on the flexible-chain R-ODA exhibit higher thermal stabi

lity than those based on the semi-flexible PMDA-ODA

which is attributed to better accommodation of local inhomogenieties and more efficient heat dissipation. The work establishes the correlation between the synthesis approaches and the properties of PI-based composites

which is essential for the development of new materials with optimized thermal and mechanical characteristics for advanced engineering applications.

关键词

Keywords

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