Polyimide having an alcoholic hydroxyl group and a process for the preparation thereof

A polyimide having a primary alcoholic hydroxyl group and represented by the following general formula (1),

• wherein
• X represents a tetravalent organic group,
• Y represents a divalent organic group represented by the general formula (2),
• wherein
• A may be same with or different from one another and represents a divalent organic group selected from the following radicals:
• each of B and C may be same with or different from one another and represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms,
• each of a and b is 0 or 1,
• c is an integer of from 0 to 10, and
• R1 may be the same with or different from one another and is a monovalent group selected from the group consisting of a phenolic hydroxyl group, a carboxyl group, —OCH2CH(OH)CH2OH, —OCH(CH2OH)CH2OH, —COOCH2CH(OH)CH2OH, and —COOCH(CH2OH)CH2OH, with at least one R1 being a monovalent group selected from the group consisting of —OCH2CH(OH)CH2OH, —OCH(CH2OH)CH2OH, —COOCH2CH(OH)CH2OH, and —COOCH(CH2OH)CH2OH,
• Z represents a divalent organic group,
• W represents a divalent organic group having an organosiloxane structure,
• k is a positive number, and
• each of m and n is equal to 0 (zero) or a positive number, with
• 0.1≦k/(k+m+n)≦1,
• 0≦m/(k+m+n)≦0.8,
• 0≦n/(k+m+n)≦0.8,
• wherein said polyimide having a monovalent group selected from the group consisting of —OCH2CH(OH)CH2OH, —OCH(CH2OH)CH2OH, —COOCH2CH(OH)CH2OH, and —COOCH(CH2OH)CH2OH is derived by reacting a polyimide having a phenolic hydroxyl group or a carboxyl group with glycidol in a mole ratio of 0.3 to 3 of the glycidol relative to the phenolic hydroxyl group-containing polyimide or carboxyl group-containing polyimide.