Polybenzimidazoles (PBI) are heterocyclic polymers that possess high thermal and oxidative stability. These intrinsic properties make PBIs of particular interest for many industrial applications varying from PBI fabrics to membrane materials to molded parts. The inherent strength and chemical and thermal stability of PBI make it ideal for use in extreme environments, however, the current processing of PBI molded parts makes the process practically and economically unfavorable. This work explores the improvement of PBI processability using a reactive oligomer approach. The high glass transition temperature and extremely high melting point (&gt;500°C) of PBI result in poor flow properties of PBI resins even at high temperatures. One approach to improve the processability of PBI resins would be to lower the Tg of the polymer by preparing lower molecular weight oligomers. However, the enhanced mechanical, chemical, and thermal properties of PBI are directly related to higher molecular weights. Thus, to increase processability and maintain good mechanical properties, lower weight oligomers with reactive end-groups were prepared that showed improved processability and then subsequently crosslinked to increase mechanical strength. The effects of backbone chemistry, oligomer molecular weight, and crosslinking chemistry on processability and properties will be described.

Reactive end-group polybenzimidazole oligomers for HT-thermosets

ACS Fall 2021

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