This work describes six novel aromatic polyamides with bulky pendant groups, each having a polyisophthalamide backbone substituted with different urea groups in ring position 5 of the diacid or the diamine residue. Thus, one of the nitrogen atoms of the urea is chemically anchored to the main rigid polyamide chain, while the other nitrogen atom is substituted by phenyl, nitrophenyl, naphthyl, and phenylureidophenyl groups. The polyamides are amorphous and soluble in polar aprotic solvents. They demonstrate a film-forming capability with outstanding mechanical properties, and exhibit moderate thermal resistance in nitrogen and oxygen atmospheres. The urea group imparts hydrophilicity to the polymers, and facilitates the future preparation of specialty polymers through the easy chemical modification of this group. (C) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.