Macromolecular Rapid Communications, Vol.20, No.1, 16-20, 1999
New aromatic benzazole polymers, 3 - Synthesis of rigid-rod benzobisazole polymers with main-chain 2,2'-bipyridine-5,5'-diyl units
Rigid-rod benzobisthiazole (Bipy-PBZT), benzobisoxazole (Bipy-PBO) and benzobisimidazole (Bipy-PyBI) polymers containing 2,2'-bipyridine-5,5'-diyl moieties were synthesized from 2,2'-bipyridine-5,5'-dicarbonyl dichloride and one of the following monomers: 2,5-diamino-1,4-benzenedithiol, 4,6-diamino-1,3-benzenediol, and 2,3,5,6-tetraaminopyridine. Bipy-PyBI is the first rigid-rod benzobisimidazole polymer without any solubilizing pendants that exhibits lyotropic behavior. These polymers displayed thin-film electrical conductivity of approximate to 10(-10)-10(-8) S/cm in pristine state; 10(-5)-10(-4) S/cm upon infiltration with AgNO3; 25-42 S/cm after Ag+ --> Ag-0 reduction by NaBH4.