Cation interactions with polyamic acids

Abstract

Abstract Polyamic acid films interact as ion‐exchange substrates for dilute aqueous cation solutions. Three conditions were evaluated: basic solutions which form soluble amic acid salts and dissolve the film, weakly acidic solutions which encourage classical weak acid cation exchange, and strongly acidic solutions which discourage exchange. Thermal treatment of the generated cationamate salts generally causes degradation of the polymer backbone. Furthermore, lead and copper react directly with the polyamic acid to yield surface‐bound salts, but tin and aluminum seem unreactive.