Incorporation of N-phenyl in poly(benzimidazole imide)s and improvement in H2O-absorbtion and transparency

5-Amine-2-(4-amino-benzene)-1-phenyl-benzimidazole (N-PhPABZ) was successfully synthesized and polymerized with 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyl tetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) to obtain a novel N-phenyl-poly(benzimidazole imide) (N-Ph-PBII). The successful incorporation of N-phenyl addressed the issue of high H2O-absorption of traditional PBIIs while retained the superheat resistance property. The resulting N-Ph-PBII possessed a high glass-transition temperature (Tg) up to 425 °C and a low affinity for water of 1.4%. Furthermore, the loose molecular packing and noncoplanar structures led to an increase in optical transparency for the modified PBII.