USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Wen F Hwang

Fred E Arnold, Jr

Hoe H Chuah

Thaddeus E Helminiak

Donald R Wiff

Loon S Tan

Provided is a molecular composite comprising a rigid-rod aromatic heterocyclic polymer, a flexible, coil-like thermoplastic polymer and a thermosetting polymer. Also provided is a method for fabricating a molecular composite film or fiber which comprises the steps of forming a biphasic, stir opalescent solution of a rigid-rod aromatic heterocyclic polymer, a thermoplastic polymer, a thermosetting polymer and a solvent which is common to the three polymers, adding solvent to the solution until the solution becomes isotropic and stir opalescence has ceased to determine the critical concentration of polymers in the solvent, adding additional solvent to the solution so that the polymer concentration is below the critical concentration, extruding the solution into a non-solvent for the polymers to form the desired film or fiber, drying the film or fiber and hot drawing the film or fiber at a temperature above the Tg of the thermoplastic, but below the polymerization temperature (Tpoly) of the thermosetting resin.

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Midland, MI, United States of America

Wen F Hwang