TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The aromatic tetra-amino compound is 3,3',4,4'-tetraaminobiphenyl, 2,3,5,6-tetraaminopyridine, 1,2,4,5-tetraaminobenzene, 3,3',4,4'-tetraaminodiphenylsulfone, 3,3'4,4'-tetraaminodiphenylether, 3,3',4,4'-tetraaminobenzophenone, 3,3',4,4'-tetraaminodiphenylmethane and/or 3,3',4,4'-tetraaminodiphenyldimethylmethane. The aromatic dicarboxylic acid is isophthalic acid, terephthalic acid, phthalic acid, 5-hydroxyisophthalic acid, 4-hydroxyisophthalic acid, 2-hydroxyterephthalic acid, 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalic acid, 2,5-dihydroxyisophthalic acid, 2,3-dihydroxyisophthalic acid, 2,3-dihydroxyphthalic acid, 2,4-dihydroxyphthalic acid, 3,4-dihydroxyphthalic acid, 3-fluorophthalic acid, fluoroisophthalic acid, 2-fluoroterephthalic acid, tetrafluorophthalic acid, tetrafluoroisophthalic acid, tetrafluoroterephthalic acid, 1,4-naphthalene dicarboxylic acid, 1,5-naphthalene dicarboxylic acid, 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylic acid, 2,7-naphthalene dicarboxylic acid, diphenic acid, dihydroxynaphthalen-3,6-dicarboxylic acid, diphenylether-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid, benzophenon-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid, diphenylsulfon-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid, biphenyl-4,4'-dicarboxylic acid, 4-trifluoromethylphthalic acid, 2,2-bis(4-carboxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane, 4,4'-stilbene dicarboxylic acid and/or 4-carboxycinnamic acid. The amount of tricarboxylic acids and/or tetracarboxylic acids is 0.1-20 mole%, relatively to the used dicarboxylic acids. The carboxylic acids used are heteroaromatic dicarboxylic acids, tricarboxylic acids and/or tetracarboxylic acids, which contains at least one nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur or phosphorus atom in aromatic compounds, preferably pyridin-2,5-dicarboxylic acid, pyridin-3,5-dicarboxylic acid, pyridin-2,6-dicarboxylic acid, pyridin-2,4-dicarboxylic acid, 4-phenyl-2,5-pyridine dicarboxylic acid, 3,5-pyrazole dicarboxylic acid, 2,6-pyrimidine dicarboxylic acid, 2,5-pyrazine dicarboxylic acid, 2,4,6-pyridine tricarboxylic acid and/or benzimidazol-5,6-dicarboxylic acid. The ratio of the amino groups derived from the tetra-amino compounds to the carboxyl acid groups derived from the aromatic carboxylic acids is 2.1:1-1.9:1. The molar proportion of amide- and/or imide-groups is less than 1:1, relative to the total number of amino groups.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Process: The average retention time of the mixture of tetra-amino compounds and carboxylic acids in the extruder is less than 10 minutes. The mixture is melted at 200-250 degrees C. The melt is dripped into an inert fluid, preferably mineral oil. The process further comprises washing the obtained beads with an inert solvent, preferably cyclohexane, pentane, hexane, heptane, benzene and/or toluene, and drying preferably at 25-150 degrees C. In the preparation of a proton-conducting polymer membrane based on polyazoles: after the step (b) and before the step (c), the viscosity is adjusted by the addition of phosphoric acid; the membrane produced in the step (c) is treated in the presence of moisture at temperatures and for a time until the membrane is self-supported and can be removed without any damage from the support; and the support is an electrode and the treatment is in such a way that the formed membrane is no longer self-supported. In the step (c), the polymer contains benzimidazole repeating units of formulae (a1)-(a24).n, m = greater than or equal to 10, preferably greater than or equal to 100.Preferred Components: The monomer beads have a number average polymerization degree of less than 10, measured by gel permeation chromatography. EXAMPLE - 3,3',4,4'-Tetraaminobiphenyl and terephthalic acid were mixed and continuously extruded at 230 degrees C. The melted drops were collected in an oil and stirred. Oil was removed by washing with cyclohexane to obtain the corresponding monomer beads with a diameter of 2-3 mm.