Beschreibung:
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Three diethynylated bisbenzimidazole prepolymers were synthesized and their polymerization characteristics examined. <jats:italic>N</jats:italic>‐phenyl‐substituted diethynylated bisbenzimidazoles melted between 250 and 265°C and had gel times of several seconds to several minutes. In contrast, an <jats:italic>N</jats:italic>‐phenoxyphenyl diethynylated bisbenzimidazole melted at a temperature sufficiently low (ca. 150°C) to provide a 5‐min gel time at 170°C and a 4‐min gel time at 210°C. This material showed promise as a potential laminating resin and a brief screening of the prepolymer for this application was carried out. The polymers of both <jats:italic>N</jats:italic>‐phenyl‐ and <jats:italic>N</jats:italic>‐phenoxyphenyl‐substituted diethynylated bisbenzimidazoles showed apparent degradation temperatures of 500°C or greater when examined by thermogravimetric analysis.</jats:p>