High Performance Polymers in Ionic Liquid: A Review on Prospects for Green Polymer Chemistry. Part II: Polyimides and Polyesters

It is a great challenge to reduce the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)used in chemical and industrial processes. VOCs are the most frequently usedsolvents in solution polymerizations, owing to their compatibility with monomers andsimplicity of separation. Due to the health and environmental concerns associated withVOCs, alternative solvents which are more environmentally benign are beinginvestigated as potential replacements. Ionic liquids (IL)s show potentials as VOCssubstitute and have received much attention for their environmentally non-hazardousconditions in recent times. They have become the focus of many trials because of theirnegligible vapour pressure, chemical stability, low flammability, high ionic conductivity,broad liquid temperature range and excellent ability to dissolve organic compounds.These new chemical materials can reduce the use of hazardous and polluting organicsolvents due to their unique characteristics and participating in various new syntheses.Among these reactions, polymerization reactions in ILs have attracted much researchinterest due to their importance in science and technology. The demand for highperformance polymeric materials is growing steadily because of their superiorperformance characteristics which are expected from engineering polymers in areassuch as aero-space, electronics, and automobile industries. With the aim of developinga green polymer chemistry approach, herein, the synthesis and properties of highperformance polymers, e.g., polyimides and polyesters are reviewed in the chemicalpoint view of environmental friendly media using ILs.