History of Heat-Resistant Polymers

Thermally stable polymers can be traced back to the late 1950s when structures were first synthesized which could exist above 300°C in air. Perhaps the first two types of polymers most significant here were aromatic polyamides and polybenzimidazoles. The latter was important because its discovery opened the field of polyheterocycles as heat-resistant backbone functions. The impetus for this field of study was originally aerospace technology (ablation shields, coatings, and adhesives). Since that time, however, other needs have been filled with these types of polymers: high modulus fibers, flame-proof clothing, and reverse osmosis membranes. These new, unexpected advantages have provided the need for further research to replace the decrease in aerospace efforts. Research has continued, not to find a material which is more thermally stable, but to enable better processing of the polymers at hand. This change is due to a plateau seen in thermal stability (up to 600°C in air and up to 800°C in nitrogen by TGA) and to the poor tractibility observed for early heat-resistant polymers. Inorganic polymers have not been investigated in depth for these applications.