Synthesis of azabenzotriazole‐terminated liquid crystal poly(ester imide)s for improving their adhesion to copper foils

Abstract Liquid crystal polymers (LCPs) should be widely used as substrates in flexible copper clad laminate (FCCL) owing to their unique advantages. However, the poor adhesion of LCPs to copper foils hinders their applications. Considering the good adhesion between polyimides and copper foils, imide groups have previously been introduced into the main chains of LCP molecules. In the present paper, to further enhance the adhesion of the LCPEIs, the 1‐hydroxy‐7‐azabenzotriazole (HOAt) is used to terminate the main chains of LCPEI molecules, which arises from the excellent coordination interaction between the azabenzotriazole groups and copper ions. Thus, the liquid crystal poly(ester imide) (t‐LCPEI), carboxyl‐terminated liquid crystal poly(ester imide) (c‐LCPEI), and azabenzotriazole‐terminated liquid crystal poly(ester imide) (a‐LCPEI) were synthesized. The results showed that LCPEIs possessed liquid crystallinity, and the peel strength of a‐LCPEI film to copper foils was increased by about 140% and nearly 43%, respectively, compared to that of LCP and t‐LCPEI. Moreover, a‐LCPEI showed higher glass transition temperature ( T g = 211°C) than conventional LCP resins ( T g = 155°C, Vectra A), and excellent thermal properties. Meanwhile, the dielectric constant and loss of a‐LCPEI were as low as 3.04 and 9.7 × 10 −3 at 10 GHz, respectively. These findings indicate that the azabenzotriazole‐terminated LCPEI is suitable to be used as the substrate material for high‐performance FCCL, and the work provides a feasible approach to enhance the adhesion and maintain the other outstanding properties of LCP.