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5697227 
Book/Book Chapter 
Chapter 7 - Polyimides 
Mckeen, LW 
2010 
William Andrew Publishing 
Oxford 
Fatigue and Tribological Properties of Plastics and Elastomers (Second Edition) 
149-173 
Publisher Summary This chapter covers a series of plastics of which the imide group is an important part of the molecule that are polyetherimide (PEI), polyamide-imide (PAI), and polyimide (PI). It also represents their fatigue and tribology data. The imide group is formed by a condensation reaction of an aromatic anhydride group with an aromatic amine. This group is very thermally stable. Aliphatic imides are possible, but the thermal stability is reduced, and thermal stability is one of the main reasons to use an imide-type polymer. PEI is an amorphous engineering thermoplastic. Thermoplastic PEIs provide the strength, heat resistance, and flame retardancy of traditional PIs with the ease of simple melt processing seen in standard injection-molding resins such as polycarbonate and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Further, PAIs are thermoplastic amorphous polymers that have useful properties: exceptional chemical resistance, outstanding mechanical strength, excellent thermal stability, performs from cryogenic up to 260°C, and excellent electrical properties. PIs are high-temperature engineering polymers originally developed by the DuPont Company. PIs exhibit an exceptional combination of thermal stability (>500°C), mechanical toughness, and chemical resistance. They have excellent dielectric properties and inherently low coefficient of thermal expansion. PI-based resins, especially PEI and PAI polymers, may also be combined with other polymers. The PEI resins have produced a surprising number of miscible (one-phase) and compatible blends. 
McKeen, Laurence W.