
16 Poly(benzimidazole)s
Aromatic poly(benzimidazole)s (PBI)s were syn-
thesized by Vogel and Marvel in 1961 [1,2]. It was
soon discovered that these polymers have excellent
thermal and oxidative stability. Therefore a growing
interest developed.
16.1 Monomers
Amino monomers can in general be classified as
those that deliver AA or AA/BB type polymers, i.e.,
poly(benzimidazole)s or poly(benzobisimidazole)s
[3]. This is shown schematically in Figure 16.1.
Monomers are collected in Tables 16.1 and 16.2.
Various basic structures are shown in Figure 16.2.
H
2
N
H
2
N
R
H
2
N
H
2
NNH
2
NH
2
NH
2
NH
2
H
2
N
H
2
N
Figure 16.1 Types of aromatic amino monomers.
Table 16.1 Monomers for Poly(benzimidazole)s ...