A novel synthesis method for an open-cell microsponge polyimide for heat insulation

A novel method for synthesizing a microsponge polyimide (PI) film with excellent thermal stability, chemical resistance, and heat insulation performance was developed. The synthesized microsponge PI film has open cells with sizes between 1 and 10 μm and a porosity of 76%. Furthermore, the film contains several layers overlapping in multiple grid structures, which complicates the heat transfer paths. Thus, the heat transfer coefficient of the microsponge PI film is 67% less than that of existing polyimide film (0.054 vs. 0.16 W/m·K). This reduced heat transfer coefficient results in excellent heat insulation performance of the microsponge PI film. The thermal decomposition (pyrolysis) of the microsponge PI starts at 498 °C and its glass transition temperature is 317 °C, which indicates excellent thermal stability. However, its Young's modulus, an indicator of mechanical strength, is nearly 74% less than that of conventional PI film (26 vs. 100.2 MPa).