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

Indole-based high-performance polymeric materials with enhanced mechanical and thermal properties via cation-π interaction

The preparation of high-performance polymeric materials with both excellent overall mechanical properties and heat resistance remains a considerable challenge. Inspired by the delicate self-assembly processes in nature, a facile strategy is reported for the preparation of high-performance polymeric materials with enhanced mechanical strength and improved thermal stability. In this instance, we successfully constructed a cation- π cross-linked polyimide (Na-poly(aryl indole) imide (Na-PINI)) film with enhanced mechanical performance and heat resistance (∼490°C). This work presents an innovative design strategy for realizing robust polymeric materials with integrated strength and thermal stability; the cation- π interaction is demonstrated to be a new method that may achieve many useful properties for high-performance polymers.

Synthesis of a metal-coordinated N-substituted polybenzimidazole pyridine sulfone and method for the nondestructive analysis of thermal stability

N-substituted metal-coordinated cross-linking polybenzimidazole pyridine sulfone, as novel class of high-performance functional polymers, has been obtained by the coordination of N-substituted polybenzimidazole pyridine sulfone (Py-N-PBIS) ligand with varying content of metallic ion (Co2+, Ni2+, Zn2+). The structures of the polymers are characterized by means of fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy, the results show good agreement with the proposed structures. Thermogravimetric analysis measurements exhibit that the metal coordination polymers possess good thermal stability with high thermal decomposition temperature (thermally stable up to 405–510°C). More importantly, the thermal decomposition temperature of Py-N-PBIS-(Co2+, Ni2+, Zn2+) can be nondestructively detected by taking advantage of the fluorescence quenching effect of metal coordination to 2,6-Bis(2-benzimidazolyl)pyridine structure.

Facile synthesis of novel poly(arylene ether)s containing N-arylenebenzimidazolyl groups via C–N/C–O coupling reaction

This article presents a convenient polymerization route to synthesize poly(arylene ether)s containing N-arylenebenzimidazolyl groups. The novel polymers were prepared by a catalyst-free nucleophilic substitution reaction, in which the N–H and O–H sites were removed from 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-1H-benzimidazole with different activated difluorides containing carbonyl groups in sulfolane. The reaction was carried out in the presence of anhydrous potassium carbonate at 210°C. The structures of the polymers were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. The results show good agreement with the proposed structure. All resulting polymers show essentially amorphous patterns. Moreover, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric measurements show that the polymers have high glass transition temperatures (>209°C), good thermostability, and high decomposition temperatures (>425°C). Furthermore, the polymers also exhibit excellent solubility in common organic solvents.