Abstract: | Two- and three-dimensional rigid-rod polymers containing benzobisoxazole structures were prepared through the polycondensation in polyphosphoric acid of 4-5-amino-6-hydroxybenzoxazol-2-yl]benzoic acid (ABA) with trimesic acid and 1,3,5,7-tetrakis(4-carboxylatophenyl)adamantane, respectively. Thermal properties of the polymers were determined by differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric/mass spectral analysis, and isothermal aging studies. The multidimensional polymers exhibited lower solution viscosities and lower thermooxidative stabilities than the one-dimensional polymer generated by the homopolymerization of ABA under identical reaction conditions. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 : 3451–3456, 1997 |