Abstract
An overview of the development of asymmetric aromatic polyimide thermosetting resins and their composites is presented. Aromatic polyimide has been intensively investigated for applications in wide industry in addition to a fundamental aspect. However, the development of thermosetting polyimides for heat resistant molding compounds and the composites has been suffered because of difficulty with processing due to the rigid and planar symmetric structures. Based on a recent research of asymmetric aromatic structures, those polyimide oligomers with reactive phenylethynyl end caps have been developed. The highly bend and asymmetric aromatic structures are expected as the key materials in obtaining high performance and heat resistant polyimide resins as well as the composites with high fracture toughness and good processability.
