Carbonization and graphitization of polyimide Upilex

Two-step carbonization was found on a polyimide film, Upilex, similar to that observed on another polyimide, Kapton: large weight loss up to about 22 wt. % and linear shrinkage along the film surface to 30% in a narrow temperature range from 500 to 650 °C, and an additional small weight loss and shrinkage in a wide range between 700 and 1000 °C. The yield of carbonization agreed roughly with that calculated by assuming the release of non-carbon atoms as simple species of CO, O₂, and N₂. A 25 μm Upilex film yielded a relatively high degree of graphitization after heat treatment at 3000 °C: a layered structure under SEM, high magnetoresistance, and a sharp 002 x-ray diffraction peak at a d-spacing of 0.336 nm. The degree of graphitization was lower than for a similar Kapton film, which is attributed to the lack of flatness in the Upilex molecule. A very much lower degree of graphitization was observed for 50 μm Upilex films. This difference is tentatively attributed to constraints that must have influenced the orientation of the Upilex molecules near the surface of the films as they were formed.