A graduate and an undergraduate student (both minorities) will work with a chemist at Clark Atlanta University in conducting comprehensive research to prepare and study the physical and mechanical properties of films and fibers. This will be achieved by preparing polymers which are chemical precursors to poly (p-phenylene-2, 6- benzobisoxazole) (PBO) and poly (p-phenylene benzobisthiazole) (PBT) which are normally very intractable and difficult to process. The precursors will be designed to have higher solubility and lower melting points by decreasing the symmetry and preventing hydrogen bonding. Once processed into films or fibers the precursor polymers will be converted to PBO and PBT by high yield chemical transformations. The precursor polymers and polymers will be characterized by techniques including infrared microscopy and spectroscopy, and 1H, 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, light scattering photometry, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, polarizing optical microscopy, gel permeation chromatography, solubility, viscometry and x- ray diffraction. Physical testing, such as, tensile strength measurements will be performed on films and fibers made from the precursors and polymers, before and after transformation to PBT and PBO.
