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1,1′-(Phenylene)Bis-1H-Pyrrole-5-Dione (CAS 3006-93-7), systematically designated as N,N′-1,3-phenylene dimaleimide, constitutes a low-molecular-weight bismaleimide resin precursor with a molecular weight of 268.23 g·mol⁻¹. The product is supplied as a yellow to pale amber crystalline powder exhibiting a melting range of 198–202 °C (determined by differential scanning calorimetry at 10 K·min⁻¹ under nitrogen purge). This meta-substituted aromatic bismaleimide differs fundamentally from the widely employed 4,4′-bismaleimidodiphenylmethane (BMI-MDA) in both backbone rigidity and cure exotherm profile: the absence of the methylene bridge reduces the rotational degrees of freedom between maleimide termini, yielding a cured network with a glass transition temperature exceeding 360 °C when post-cured to 300 °C, approximately 30–50 °C higher than that of BMI-MDA homopolymers processed under identical conditions. Residual maleic anhydride content is held below 0.15 wt% and free phenylene diamine below 50 ppm, validated by HPLC analysis per an internal release specification aligned with ISO 17025-accredited laboratory protocols. The material is typically offered in two grades: a micronized form with a D₅₀ particle size of 8–12 µm acceptable for solvent-assisted prepregging, and a jet-milled variant with a D₅₀ below 5 µm tailored for powder-coating and resin transfer molding (RTM) where sedimentation in low-viscosity injection media must be suppressed.
Unlike conventional epoxies that rely on hydroxyl-mediated cure mechanisms, the thermal polymerization of 1,1′-(phenylene)Bis-1H-pyrrole-5-dione proceeds via a radical-mediated addition across the maleimide double bond, accompanied by a minor ene reaction component when co-cured with O-allyl functional comonomers. The onset of homopolymerization, as recorded by DSC at a scan rate of 10 K·min⁻¹, lies between 215 °C and 225 °C, with a peak exotherm near 260 °C and a total reaction enthalpy of approximately 230–260 J·g⁻¹. These thermal characteristics impose a processing window of roughly 30–40 °C between melt flow initiation (~185°C at zero-shear viscosity of 10 Pa·s) and the gel point, which is narrower than that of the para-phenylene isomer (CAS 3278-31-7), whose melting point of 298–302 °C places it largely outside the practical molten-state processing envelope without reactive diluents. Consequently, 1,1′-(phenylene)Bis-1H-pyrrole-5-dione is the preferred isomer for solvent-borne impregnation of fabric reinforcements where a homogeneous solution in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone or γ-butyrolactone at 35–45 wt% solids is achievable, yielding prepreg tack life of 4–7 days at 23 °C and 50% RH when protected from ambient moisture.
When co-monomer blending shifts the cure exotherm below 200 °C
Formulation with diallyl bisphenol A (DABA) or 2,2′-diallyl bisphenol A at molar ratios between 1:0.8 and 1:1.2 depresses the peak exotherm to 185–205 °C and broadens the processing window dramatically. In a typical RTM cycle, the blended resin is degassed at 120 °C under 10 mbar vacuum for 30 min, then injected into a mold preheated to 130 °C. The initial viscosity of 0.15–0.3 Pa·s at the injection temperature permits impregnation of 12K carbon fiber 2×2 twill weaves with fiber volume fractions exceeding 57%. Gelation occurs between 60–90 min at 130 °C, after which a step cure of 180 °C for 2 h followed by a free-standing post-cure at 250 °C for 4 h is applied. The cured neat resin exhibits a flexural strength of 132 MPa (ASTM D790-17, three-point bending, span-to-thickness ratio 16:1) and a flexural modulus of 4.8 GPa, values closely approaching those of the more chain-extended BMI-MDA/DABA system but with a 12–15 °C higher heat deflection temperature measured at 1.82 MPa (ASTM D648-18). Published data for the para-isomer in analogous DABA blends indicates a flexural modulus of approximately 5.1 GPa but requires melt temperatures above 250 °C to achieve comparable wet-out, rendering the meta isomer the practical choice for autoclave processing where excess temperature can induce uncontrolled thermal runaway in thick sections exceeding 15 mm.
Comparative thermal and rheological values for neat meta-phenylene bismaleimide versus para-phenylene isomer
| Property | 1,1′-(Phenylene)Bis-1H-Pyrrole-5-Dione (meta) | 1,1′-(1,4-Phenylene)Bis-1H-Pyrrole-5-Dione (para) | Test method |
| Melting point (onset, DSC) | 198–202 °C | 298–302 °C | DIN EN ISO 11357-1:2017 |
| Homopolymerization peak exotherm | 258–264 °C | 272–280 °C | DSC at 10 K·min⁻¹ |
| Minimum melt viscosity at processing temperature | 8–12 Pa·s at 210 °C | Not measurable below 300 °C without decomposition | Parallel-plate oscillatory rheometry |
| Glass transition temperature (tan δ, DMTA) after post-cure to 300 °C | 367 °C | 385 °C* | ASTM D7028-07(2015) |
| Solubility in NMP at 25 °C | 42 g/100 mL | < 5 g/100 mL | Gravimetric |
*Value reported for a post-cure to 320 °C due to incomplete conversion at 300 °C; residual enthalpy remains above 15 J·g⁻¹.
Direct comparison with 4,4′-bismaleimidodiphenylmethane (BMI-MDA) reveals a critical divergence in moisture resistance. DMA scans conducted on water-immersed specimens (deionized water, 70 °C, 1000 h) show that the BMI-MDA network absorbs 2.8–3.2 wt% water, accompanied by a 22 °C depression in the tan δ peak temperature. The 1,1′-(phenylene)Bis-1H-pyrrole-5-dione homopolymer, in contrast, absorbs 1.6–1.9 wt% under identical conditions, with the corresponding peak depression limited to 9 °C. This differential arises from the elimination of the methylene-linked diphenyl structure, which reduces free volume elements identifiable by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy. Formulators targeting hot-wet compression performance per ASTM D695-15 often exploit this characteristic by utilizing the meta-phenylene BMI as the sole matrix precursor rather than as a modifier for BMI-MDA systems, although the intrinsic brittleness of the highly crosslinked network—unmodified strain to failure typically 1.2–1.8%—necessitates toughening with core-shell rubber particles or thermoplastic polyimide interleaf layers if post-impact compression strength (ASTM D7137/D7137M-17, CAI) must exceed 220 MPa.
What limits lathe-mixing cycle times in high-shear dispersion?
Processing of 1,1′-(phenylene)Bis-1H-pyrrole-5-dione in batch reactors employing planetary mixers encounters a well-defined thermal constraint: the dissipated mechanical energy during dispersion of the jet-milled powder into a diallyl bisphenol A melt raises the batch temperature at a rate of 2–4 K·min⁻¹ under a tip speed of 1.5 m·s⁻¹. Without active jacket cooling, the batch can surpass the critical 170 °C threshold within 25–35 min, triggering incipient oligomerization detectable as a gradual viscosity rise from 0.3 Pa·s to 0.6 Pa·s at 140 °C. Manufacturing facilities utilize a two-stage mixing protocol: the powder is incorporated at a jacket temperature of 110 °C over a 20 min period, then the jacket is reduced to 90 °C before addition of the radical inhibitor 4-tert-butylcatechol at a level of 200–500 ppm relative to total resin mass. This inhibitor package, critical for extending pot life to 6–8 h at 130 °C, must be fully dissolved before the second-stage degassing step; undissolved inhibitor crystals act as heterogeneous nucleation sites during cure, creating localized regions of reduced crosslink density visible in SEM micrographs of polished sections as 5–15 µm domains with a 10–15% lower Brinell hardness.
In continuous fiber placement (CFP) applications, the short melt residence time places a premium on rapid fusion. A slit-die rheometer attached to a CFP head operating at 3–5 m·min⁻¹ line speed measures the dynamic viscosity of the BMI melt blend at a die temperature of 175 °C. The formulation containing stoichiometrically balanced 1,1′-(phenylene)Bis-1H-pyrrole-5-dione and diallyl bisphenol A shows a shear viscosity of 0.8–1.2 Pa·s at a shear rate of 1000 s⁻¹, enabling tow wet-out within 0.2 s on a 12 mm contact radius heated compaction roller. Substituting BMI-MDA under identical conditions yields a viscosity of 1.5–2.0 Pa·s, attributed to the higher molecular volume of the diphenylmethane backbone. The lower viscosity of the meta-phenylene system translates directly into a reduction in void content from 2.5–3.5% to 1.0–1.5% in unidirectional carbon/PEEK hybrid laminates when assessed via acid digestion coupled with optical microscopy (ASTM D2734-16).
Specifications and batch-to-batch variance in commercial-scale production
The typical release specification for 1,1′-(phenylene)Bis-1H-pyrrole-5-dione intended for aerospace prepregging includes a maleimide equivalent weight of 134.0–134.5 g·eq⁻¹ (theoretical value 134.12), an ionic chloride content below 15 mg·kg⁻¹ extracted by boiling deionized water and quantified by ion chromatography per ISO 10304-1:2007, and a volatile loss not exceeding 0.30 wt% after 2 h at 150 °C. In production campaigns spanning 12–15 batches, the melting point interquartile range remains within 1.5 °C, and the DSC exotherm onset varies by less than 2.0 °C. One observed outlier pattern correlates with residual N,N-dimethylformamide from the synthesis step: DMF content above 80 ppm shifts the exotherm onset down by 3–5 °C and introduces a low-temperature shoulder in the DSC trace, likely due to acid-base interaction with trace maleamic acid intermediates. Therefore, a supplementary GC headspace method for residual solvent is recommended when the material is destined for electronics-grade formulations requiring dielectric constants (at 1 MHz, ASTM D150-18) below 3.2 after cure.
Release limits and typical analytical data for an aerospace-grade batch of 1,1′-(phenylene)Bis-1H-pyrrole-5-dione
| Parameter | Release limit | Typical batch data (n=12) | Analytical procedure |
| Appearance | Yellow crystalline powder | Conforms | Visual against white standard |
| Melting range | 198–202 °C | 199.2–200.8 °C | DSC, endothermic peak onset |
| Maleimide equivalent weight | 133.8–134.4 g·eq⁻¹ | 134.0–134.1 g·eq⁻¹ | Titration with morpholine/DMF |
| Chloride (extractable) | ≤ 15 mg·kg⁻¹ | 4–9 mg·kg⁻¹ | ISO 10304-1:2007 |
| Residual solvent (DMF) | ≤ 50 mg·kg⁻¹ | 12–28 mg·kg⁻¹ | Headspace GC-FID |
| Loss on drying (2 h/150 °C) | ≤ 0.30 wt% | 0.18–0.25 wt% | Gravimetric |
| Particle size D₅₀ (jet-milled grade) | 4.0–6.0 µm | 4.6–5.2 µm | Laser diffraction (Malvern) |
Workers handling the powder must observe an occupational exposure limit of 0.5 mg·m⁻³ (respirable fraction) in accordance with a supplier-derived internal benchmark, since fully validated TWA data under 29 CFR 1910.1000 remain unavailable. Dust extraction at the bag-dump station should maintain a face velocity of 0.5–0.8 m·s⁻¹ to prevent accumulation of submicron particulates on horizontal surfaces where thermal cycling between 20 °C and 50 °C can cause slight sublimation and redeposition of fine crystals.
Substituting 1,1′-(phenylene)Bis-1H-pyrrole-5-dione for BMI-MDA in high-temperature electrical insulation varnishes has been reported to raise the thermal endurance rating from Class H (180 °C) to Class C (200 °C and above) under the criteria of IEC 60085:2007, provided that the cured film thickness does not exceed 50 µm and the substrate is a properly primed copper or aluminum magnet wire. The determining factor is the onset of weight loss by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA, 10 K·min⁻¹, nitrogen): the meta-phenylene BMI homopolymer demonstrates a 5% mass loss at 442 °C, while a comparable BMI-MDA homopolymer reaches the same threshold near 415 °C. However, the steeper viscosity-temperature profile of the meta isomer demands tighter process control on vertical impregnation towers; oven zone temperature variation must remain within ±3 °C across a 2.5 m heated length to avoid resin migration towards the upper zone, which can create a gradient in pick-up weight exceeding 5 g·m⁻² top-to-bottom.