Mechanical Properties and Intermolecular Interactions in Molecular Composites Composed of Wholly Aromatic Polyamide and Poly-(Amide-Imide)

Poly(p-phenylene-3,4′-oxydiphenylene terephthalamide) (PPOT) and poly(4,4′-oxydiphenylene-4-carbonamidephthalimide-N-yl) (PAI) are compatible. Molecular composites were prepared by solution blending and subsequently solvent casting. The glass transition temperature of the composite increased with increasing fraction of PPOT. Intermolecular interactions between the two components increase due to formation of hydrogen bonds between the amide linkages of the component polymers. The elastic modulus of the composite was always higher than the modulus predicted on the basis of the additivity. Similar deviations from additivity were observed for the bulk density. These desirable results arise from an increase of the packing density of molecules due to the additional hydrogen bonding also shown by the infrared spectra.