Novel optically active poly(amide-imide)s derived from L-aspartic acid

2,6-Bis-(2,5-dioxo-tetrahydro-N-(4-carboxyphenyl)pyrrol-3-yl)-pyrrolo[3,4-f]isoindole-1,3,5,7-teraone, a chiral diacid, was prepared from pyromellitic anhydride and L-aspartic acid in a three steps reaction pathway. The polycondensation reactions of the monomer with aromatic diamines were carried out in direct condensation reaction conditions. The synthesized poly(amide-imide)s had inherent viscosities in the range of 0.30–0.80 dl/g. Identification of all of the products were performed by conventional analytical techniques such as TLC, IR and 1H NMR/13C MR spectroscopy. Thermoanalytical techniques (TGA/DSC) showed useful levels of thermal stability, associated with relatively high glass transition temperatures and carbonized residues in excess of 40% at 600°C for the synthesized polymers. Amorphous morphology was obtained based on XRD patterns and DSC traces. The polymers were soluble in a variety of polar organic solvents and afforded transparent and relatively flexible to brittle films by solution casting.