Abstract.Studies were conducted to find an acceptable non-mutagenic diamine to replace 4,4'-methylenedianiline (MDA), a suspect carcinogen, which is currently being used in PMR-15 polyimide
applications.Several diamines containing fluorine and trifluoromethyl substituent groups were synthesized.The diamines were polymerized with the dimethyl ester of 3,3',4,4'-benzophenonetetracarboxylic acid (BTDE), using the monomethyl ester ofnadic acid (NE) as an endcap.The effect of diamine structure on rheological properties, glass transition temperature, and thermooxidative stability was investigated.Unidirectional laminates were fabricated from selected resins, using carbon fiber as the reinforcement.The results indicate that some of the diamines containing trifluoromethyl groups are non-mutagenic, and have potential to replace MDA in PMR polyimides for long-term applications at temperatures up to 300°C,