High-Temperature Polyamides from New Hexahydrobenzodipyrrole Monomers

The Army has a high priority program to provide protective clothing to air and tank crewmen who are subject to possible exposure to intense heat and flame as a result of accident or enemy action. The paper reports on the synthesis of a new class of heterocyclic polyamides made possible by the successful synthesis and isolation of two new hexahydrobenzodipyrrole monomers. These newly prepared monomers reacted readily with diacid chlorides to form polyamides. A number of such polymers has been achieved with a selected group of diacid chlorides and a limited characterization by standard techniques provides data indicating that outstanding thermal properties are possible.