Polyimides That Contain Cyclobutene-3,4-Dione Moieties

Linear aromatic polyimides containing cyclobutene-3,4,-dione moieties synthesized in experiments. Polymers exhibit high thermal and thermo-oxidative stabilities, making them useful in structural components exposed to hot and/or oxidative environments, as in jet engines and on outer surfaces of supersonic aircraft. Electrons in cyclobutene-3,4-dione moieties readily excited to states of higher energy upon exposure to ultraviolet light, giving rise to electronic properties with potential utility in photovoltaic, photoconductive, and/or photoemissive devices.