Polyamide/imide Sheet - Material Information

Polyamide-imide (PAI) is a class of high-performance thermoplastics combining the strength and chemical resistance of polyamides with the thermal stability of polyimides. These polymers exhibit exceptional dimensional stability, wear resistance, and mechanical integrity across a broad temperature range. Owing to these features, PAI sheets are widely used in precision bearings, jet engine components, and electronic insulation where durability and heat resistance are critical.

Material Overview

PAI polymers possess a predominantly aromatic structure, giving them superior rigidity and resistance to thermal and chemical degradation. They typically exhibit a glass transition temperature (T_g) around 275–300 °C and maintain structural integrity up to 450 °C. Duan et al. (2019) reported that PAI films and electrospun fibers synthesized from amide-containing diamines display exceptional tensile strength and oxidation resistance, making them ideal for gas separation and high-temperature filtration. Yalç?nkaya and Buzgo (2024) demonstrated that electrospun TORLON® 4000 PAI nanofibers retain over 90% filtering efficiency for submicron particles while withstanding continuous exposure up to 450 °C. Additionally, Li et al. (2024) developed PAI/PU hybrid aerogel fibers with tensile strengths up to 94 MPa and thermal conductivity as low as 25 mW·m⁻¹·K⁻¹, showcasing PAI’s potential for advanced insulation textiles. These findings confirm that PAI’s thermomechanical stability surpasses that of conventional engineering plastics such as PEEK or PPS.

Applications and Advantages

PAI’s remarkable combination of stiffness, thermal endurance, and low friction makes it suitable for severe-service environments. It is commonly used in aerospace components, thrust washers, compressor vanes, and precision bearings. Feng et al. (2016) demonstrated that PAI-reinforced PTFE nanofiber membranes exhibit a 31% increase in tensile strength and 186% higher modulus than pure PTFE, expanding its potential in filtration and high-temperature sealing. Furthermore, Zhang et al. (2022) synthesized bio-based PAIs from renewable monomers, showing that thermal decomposition temperatures above 400 °C can be achieved sustainably. Collectively, these studies underscore PAI’s role as one of the strongest unreinforced thermoplastics with exceptional wear resistance, low outgassing, and inherent flame retardancy.

Goodfellow Availability

Goodfellow supplies high-quality Polyamide/Imide (PAI) sheets tailored for research and engineering applications requiring extreme thermal and mechanical stability. These materials are available in multiple thicknesses, with post-curing options for enhanced performance. Custom machining and pre-curing services can also be arranged for high-precision components and prototype fabrication.

Explore Polyamide/Imide (PAI) and other advanced materials in Goodfellow’s online catalogue: Goodfellow product finder.

References

• Duan, G., Liu, S., Jiang, S., & Hou, H. (2019). High-performance polyamide-imide films and electrospun aligned nanofibers from an amide-containing diamine. Journal of Materials Science, 54(8), 6195–6206. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10853-019-03326-W
• Yalç?nkaya, B., & Buzgo, M. (2024). Optimization of electrospun TORLON® 4000 polyamide-imide nanofibers: Bridging the gap to industrial-scale production. Polymers, 16(11), 1516. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16111516
• Feng, Y., Xiong, T., Xu, H., Li, C., & Hou, H. (2016). Polyamide-imide reinforced polytetrafluoroethylene nanofiber membranes with enhanced mechanical properties and thermal stabilities. Materials Letters, 185, 327–330. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MATLET.2016.06.074
• Li, Y., Cui, W., Wang, L., Zhang, S., Du, Q., Fan, J., & Liu, Y. (2024). Topological polymer networks-enabled mechanically strong polyamide-imide aerogel fibers for thermal insulation in harsh environments. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 16(7), 12345–12357. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c07334
• Zhang, Y., Wang, C., Yi, Y., Wang, W., Yang, J., Lou, Y., & Li, J. (2022). Synthesis and characterization of bio-based poly(amide imide)s derived from 11-aminoundecanoic acid and 1,10-diaminodecane. Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy, 16(3), 455–464. https://doi.org/10.1166/jbmb.2022.2193