Polyamic acid interactions at metal surfaces

Pyromellitic dianhydride‐oxydianiline (PMDA‐ODA)‐derived polyamic acid‐metal interactions were delineated by grazing incidence infrared spectroscopy on mirror surfaces. Vast differences were observed between unreactive gold, titanium, chromium, and aliminum, and reactive copper and silver, where copper and silver form amic acid salts. Other polymer‐metal interactions were observed with unreactive metals where aromatic ether rings appear to align on the metal surface. Further, reactive meta and para diacid carboxylates appear to assume different surface conformations. Heating the surface‐bound metal salts destroys the polymer interface, but nonsalt film, formed from amic acid or amic ester, appears to establish near planar aromatic ether conformations on the metal surfaces, with resultant orthogonal imide links.