Because of the unique conjugated heterocyclic structure and the presence of reactive groups, adenine which can be obtained from biomass may be an ideal bio-based alternative structure of petroleum-based aromatic/heterocyclic structures. In this paper, the adenine was introduced into mainchain of polyimide (API) for the first time to evaluate the feasibility of replacing petroleum-based aromatic/heterocyclic structures by adenine. Systematic studies showed that the API possesses outstanding solubility, thermal and mechanical properties (glass transition temperature (T-g): 363 `degrees C, weight residual of 95%: 513 degrees C (N-2); 506 degrees C (Air), tensile strength: 144 MPa). Systematic studies indicated that hydrogen-bonding interaction could be a significant cause of these unique thermal and mechanical properties. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.