Thermoplastic and Thermosetting Polymers
Why Thermoplastic Polyimide AURUM™ outperforms other polymers
Polyimide (abbreviated PI) is a polymer of imide monomers belonging to the class of high performance plastics. With their high heat-resistance, polyimides enjoy diverse applications in roles demanding rugged organic materials. Polyimide (PI) is a high temperature polymer that can be aromatic, semi-aromatic, or linear according to the composition of the chains. Aromatic molecular structure is the most used PI because of their thermostability. Depending on the type of molecular bonding within the chains, PI can be thermoplastic (TPI) or thermosetting (PI-s).
When heated TPI becomes soft and melts as the bonding within the chains cannot be broken but the chains can slip easily. In the contrast to this Thermosetting become hard or they cure as the chains have the ability to break down and make bonding with other adjacent chains in 3D space, knows as cross-linking.
BARplast offers thermoplastic polyimide polymer AURUM™ by ©Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. AURUM™ is known for its high temperature stiffness with Tg=473°F (245°C), excellent sliding properties, superior dimensional stability, resistance to radiation, superior creep resistance, excellent chemical resistance, and low outgassing even at higher temperatures.
AURUM™ is suitable for applications involving high temperatures, friction, and harsh conditions such as radiation. Applications include turbocharger abradable seals, bearings of aircraft engines, pistons in small combustion engines, oil seals for construction machinery, and many more.
Find more information about AURUM ™ on in our shop and on Mitsui Chemicals' Website.