Two series of poly(ether imide)s (PEIs) containing fluorenyl cardo groups in the main chains were synthesized, which are derived from the polycondensation of 9,9'-bis(4-aminophenoxyphenyl)fluorene (BAOFL) or 9,9'-bis(3-trifluoromethyl,4-aminophenoxyphenyl)fluorene (6F-BAOFL) with four kinds of dianhydrides (3,3',4,4'-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride, 4,4'-oxydiphthalicanhydride, 3,3',4,4'-benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride, and bisphenol-A dianhydride), respectively. The PEI films and PEI powder were prepared by thermal and chemical imidization, respectively. The PEIs were characterized by FTIR, H-1-NMR, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and UV-vis were performed on inherent viscosity, solubility, and tensile tests. The effects of fluorenyl cardo groups and ether linkages on the solubility, tensile properties, thermal stability, and optical properties were investigated in detail. It was found that the PEIs had good solubility in common organic solvents and good optical transparency in visible light region. In addition, the PEI films exhibited excellent tensile and thermal properties. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 114: 3987-3993, 2009