Poly(arylene benzimidazole)s as novel high-performance polymers

• Published in: Polymer journal Vol. 45; no. 12; pp. 1188 - 1194
• Main Authors: Chang, Guanjun, Yang, Junxiao, Huang, Yawen, Cao, Ke, Zhang, Lin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01-12-2013; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 639/638/298/923/1028; Applied sciences; Atomic structure; Biomaterials; Bioorganic Chemistry; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chemistry/Food Science; Exact sciences and technology; Organic polymers; original-article; Physicochemistry of polymers; Polymer Sciences; Polymers with particular properties; Preparation, kinetics, thermodynamics, mechanism and catalysts; Surfaces and Interfaces; Thin Films; C–N coupling reaction; poly(arylene benzimidazole)s; high-performance polymer; Solution polycondensation; Free volume; Ethersulfone polymer; Benzimidazole derivative polymer; Ketone polymer; Experimental study; Sulfone copolymer; Thermal stability; Ketone copolymer; Preparation; Benzimidazole derivative copolymer; Aromatic copolymer; Soluble compound; Amorphous polymer; Thermostable; C-N coupling reaction
• ISSN: 0032-3896; 1349-0540
• DOI: 10.1038/pj.2013.51

Series of novel poly(arylene benzimidazole)s (PABIs) was obtained by condensation polymerization of aromatic bifluorides with the monomers of di(benzimidazolyl)benzenes (synthesized by reaction of the isomeric phthalic acids with
o
-phenylenediamine) via a C–N coupling reaction. The structures of this series of polymers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (
1
H NMR) spectroscopy and elemental analysis, and the results showed good agreement with the proposed structures. These synthesized polymers exhibited relatively high glass-transition temperatures (
T
g
>240 °C), good thermal stability with high decomposition temperatures (
T
d
>450 °C) and excellent solubility in organic solvents. On the atomic scale, the molecular simulation results indicated that the PABI polymers exhibited a zigzag molecular chain structure with a high free volume fraction due to the different linkage modes of the monomers in the polymerization process. On the macro level, the PABI polymers possessed high tensile strength with good toughness; the mechanical behavior of the PABI polymers indicates that they can be considered a new class of high-performance polymers.
Series of novel PABIs have been obtained by the condensation polymerization of aromatic bifluorides with di(benzimidazolyl)benzenes via a C–N coupling reaction. PABI exhibited zigzag molecular chain structure with a high free volume fraction, and they showed relatively high glass-transition temperatures (
T
g
>240), good thermal stability with high decomposition temperatures (
T
d
>450) and excellent solubility in organic solvents. The mechanical behavior of the PABI polymers suggested that they can be considered as a new class of high-performance polymers.