Abstract
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 (1H NMR) spectroscopy and elemental analysis, and the results showed good agreement with the proposed structures. These synthesized polymers exhibited relatively high glass-transition temperatures (Tg>240 °C), good thermal stability with high decomposition temperatures (Td>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.
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Acknowledgements
This research was financially supported by the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of the Southwest University of Science and Technology (No. 12zx7129), the Opening Project of State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base for Nonmetal Composites and Functional Materials of the Southwest University of Science and Technology (No. 10zxfk29), the Science and Technology Development Foundation of the Chinese Academy of Physics Engineering (No. 2012A0302015; 2012B0302050) and the Foundation of the Double-Hundred Talents of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics (Grant No. ZX8078). We thank the Southwest Computing Center of the Chinese Academy of Physics Engineering for their support in performing the computer simulations.
Supporting information available: Text giving detailed characterization of di(benzimidazolyl)benzenes; Figures showing the DSC, TG and XRD of PABI.
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Chang, G., Yang, J., Huang, Y. et al. Poly(arylene benzimidazole)s as novel high-performance polymers. Polym J 45, 1188–1194 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/pj.2013.51
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/pj.2013.51
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