A kind of highly organsoluble polyimide and copolyimides were successfully synthesized from bicyclo（2.2.2）-oct- 7-ene-2,3,5,6-tetracarboxylic dianhydride （BCDA）, the commercial diamine 4,4＇-methylenedianiline （MDA） and the designed diamine 4,4＇-methylenebis-（2-tert-butylaniline） （MBTBA）. The polyimide from BCDA and MBTBA is highly soluble in conventional low boiling point solvents （such as chloroform, tetrahydrofuran） at room temperature. But the solubility of the copolyimides in conventional solvents decreased with the molar ratio of MBTBA and MDA decreased. When the molar ratio of MBTBA and MDA was larger than 7/3, the copolyimides can be soluble in low boiling point solvents at room temperature to form a transparent, flexible, tough film by solution casting. When the molar ratio of MBTBA and MDA was between 7/3 and 1/9, they can only be soluble in hot dipolar aprotic solvents （such as DMF, NMP etc.） and form films too. The copolyimide was only soluble in m-cresol when the molar ratio of MBTBA and MDA was lower than 1/9. The number-average molecular weights of the soluble copolyimides were larger than 5.8 × 1064 g/mol by GPC and their polydispersity indices were higher than 1.4. Only one glass transition temperature of these copolyimides was detected around 400℃ by DMA. The copolyimides did not show appreciable decomposition up to 430℃ in N2.
