A new asymmetric biphenyl dianhydride, 2-o-tert-butylphenoxy-4,4 ,5,5 -biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride, was readily synthesized via a four-step route. The key intermediate, 2-nitro-bis(N-methylphthalimide) (2), was synthesized at low temperature (around 15 • C), with a yield of over 90%, which enhances the molecular adjustment flexibility of the monomer. FT-IR and 1 H-NMR were used to fully verify the proposed structure of this new asymmetric dianhydride. The polyimides were prepared from such new dianhydride and commercial diamines by high-temperature one step polymerization in m-cresol. The molecular structures of the polymers were determined by FT-IR and 1 H-NMR. The inherent viscosities were in the range of 0.40-0.41. The polymers show high organosolubility in common solvents such as NMP, CHCl 3 and THF. TGA analysis revealed that the polymers displayed good thermal stability up to 490 • C. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2012