We describe herein the state of the art following the last 8 years of research into aromatic
polyamides, wholly aromatic polyamides or aramids. These polymers belong to the family of high
performance materials because of their exceptional thermal and mechanical behavior. Commercially,
they have been transformed into fibers mainly for production of advanced composites, paper, and cut
and fire protective garments. Huge research efforts have been carried out to take advantage of
the mentioned characteristics in advanced fields related to transport applications, optically active
materials, electroactive materials, smart materials, or materials with even better mechanical and
thermal behavior.
