Fluorinated polybenzimidazopyrrolones with excellent alkaline‐hydrolysis resistance

Abstract

polybenzimidazopyrrolones (polypyrrolones, PPys) were synthesized via a two-step polycondensation procedure. The inherent viscosities of the precursors, poly(amide amino acid) (PAAA), ranged from 0.39 dL/g to 0.54 dL/g. All the FPPys were amorphous. The freestanding FPPy films could be prepared, which exhibited good thermal stability with the glass transition temperature of 315-389 C, the temperatures of 5% weight loss (T 5% ) of 497-535 C in nitrogen and residual weight retention at 700 C over 60%. All the FPPy films exhibited excellent alkaline-hydrolysis resistance which retained their original shapes and toughness after boiling 7 days in 10% sodium hydroxide solution. Also after boiling 8 h in 10% sodium hydroxide solution, the tensile strength could retain as high as 56% of the original values. The alkaline-hydrolysis resistance was much better than the polyimides which had similar chemical structures.