Synthesis, Characterization, and Studies of Heat-Resistant Poly(ether benzimidazole)s

The present necessity to use heat-resistant materials in electronics justified the scientific interest in different heterocyclic polymers. This paper is especially concerned with the preparation of novel heat-resistant materials having benzimidazole moieties in the main chain. The poly(ether benzimidazole)s were prepared by the nucleophilic displacement reaction of 1,6-hexanediol with activated aliphatic and aromatic bis(nitrobenzimidazole) compounds in N-methylpyrrolidone at 190 °C in the presence of anhydrous potassium carbonate. All polybenzimidazoles were obtained in high-to-quantitative yields and with varying molecular weights (inherent viscosities from 0.24 to 0.77 dL/g), which in some cases were in the fiber-forming range. The polymers exhibited glass transition temperatures ranging from 150 to 300 °C.