Synthesis of novolac‐type phenolic resins using glucose as the substitute for formaldehyde

Novel Novolac type phenolic resins were prepared using glucose as the substitute for toxic formaldehyde (a carcinogenic chemical). The resins were synthesized with varying molar ratios of phenol to glucose, catalyzed by strong acid (such as sulfuric acid) at 120–150°C. Analysis of the resins using gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H‐NMR) showed that they were broadly distributed oligomers derived from the Fridel‐Crafts condensation of phenol and glucose. Using hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) as the curing agent, the phenol‐glucose resins could be thermally cured and exhibited exothermic peaks at 130–180°C, typical of thermosetting phenolic resins. The cured resins showed satisfactory thermal stability, e.g., they started to decompose at >280°C with residual carbon yields of above 58% at 600°C. Based on the thermal properties, phenol‐glucose resin with a molar ratio of 1 : 0.5 is promising as it could be cured at a lower temperature (147°C) and exhibited a satisfactorily good thermal stability: it started to decompose at >300°C with a residual carbon yield of >64% at 600°C. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Synthesis,characterization, and thermal properties of tris (3‐aminophenyl) phosphine oxide‐based nadimide resins

This article describes the synthesis, characterization, and thermal properties of nadimides obtained by reacting endo‐5‐norbornene‐2,3‐dicarboxylic acid anhydride (nadic anhydride) (NA), 4,4′‐oxodiphthalic anhydride (ODA), 1,4,5,8‐naphthalene tetra carboxylic dianhydride (NTDA) in glacial acetic acid/DMF. Structural characterization of the resins was done by elemental analysis, IR, ¹H‐NMR, and ¹³C‐NMR. The DSC scan showed the endothermic transition in the temperature range of 120–270°C. Multistep decomposition was observed in the TG scan of uncured resins in nitrogen atmosphere. Isothermal curing of the resins was done at 250 and 300°C for 1 h in an air atmosphere. These cured resins were stable to (350 ± 30)°C and decomposed in a single step above this temperature. This may be due to the retro Diels Alder (RDA) reaction. The char yield of the resins increased significantly on curing. The char yield was highest for P‐2N resin and this could be due to the presence of rigid skeleton i.e. naphthalene. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Copolymerization modification: improving the processability and thermal properties of phthalonitrile resins with novel comonomers

Two novel tetrahydrophthalic anhydride end‐capped imide compounds (THAN and THBN) with high thermal stability were synthesized to promote the curing reaction of 1,3‐bis(3,4‐dicyanophenoxy)benzene (3BOCN), and to study the effects of comonomer structure on the curing behavior and thermal performance of phthalonitrile resins. The curing behaviors of THAN/3BOCN and THBN/3BOCN blends with various molar ratios were investigated using rheological analysis and differential scanning calorimetry, suggesting a wide processing window. Dynamic mechanical analysis and thermogravimetric analysis showed that the cured resins possessed high glass transition temperatures (> 500 °C), and superior thermal and long‐term thermo‐oxidative stabilities with weight retention of 95% ranging from about 544 to 558 °C in both nitrogen and air. All these results indicated that the processability and thermal properties of phthalonitrile resins could be improved further by modifying the structure of comonomer in this kind of curing system. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis,curing behavior and thermal properties of silicon‐containing hybrid polymers with Si−C≡C units

Three novel kinds of linear silicon‐containing hybrid polymers with Si?C≡C units were synthesized by polycondensation reactions using the Grignard reagent method. All the polymers were thermosetting, highly heat‐resistant, moldable and easily soluble in common organic solvents. The structure, curing behavior, thermal and oxidative properties were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, gel permeation chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. The results obtained can provide theoretical guidance for determining the curing of the resin system. In addition, the cured polymers exhibit excellent thermal and oxidative stabilities with temperatures of 5% weight loss (T_d5) above 480 °C and 450 °C in nitrogen and air respectively; the residues at 1000 °C were above 70.0% and 45.0% respectively. The thermal and oxidative stabilities of the polymers are attributed to a crosslinking reaction between the Si?H and C≡C bonds or C≡C bonds. These polymers have the potential for use as high‐temperature‐resistant resins and ceramic precursors. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry     

Silicon-containing fluorenylacetylene resins with low curing temperature and high thermal stability

Silicon-containing arylacetylene resins (PSAs) are promising thermal stability polymers for many applications. However, the controllability of curing reaction limited their application because of the high curing temperature and enthalpy. In this study, Materials Genome Initiative was utilized to screen out a target monomer, 2,7-diethynyl-9H-fluorene (DEF), for design of new PSAs with low curing temperature and enthalpy. After incorporation of DEF, the obtained silicon-containing fluorenylacetylene resins (PSA-VBF) could be cured at a lower temperature of 149.2 °C with lower enthalpy (239.8 J g⁻¹) than the reported PSA-V (190.0 °C, 368.3 J g⁻¹). Moreover, the thermal curing behavior and mechanism were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared, and pyrolysis-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The results revealed that with the increased of DEF, the curing reaction of PSA-VBF became dominated by Diels–Alder reaction. And the formed aromatic fused rings endowed the cured PSA-VBF with excellent thermal stability, which were proved by thermogravimetric analysis results that the temperature at 5% weight loss (T_d5) of the cured copolymers ranged from 630 to 639 °C, and the char yield at 1000 °C was above 90%. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 48262.     

Synthesis and properties of fluorinated biphenyl‐type epoxy resin

A novel fluorinated biphenyl‐type epoxy resin (FBE) was synthesized by epoxidation of a fluorinated biphenyl‐type phenolic resin, which was prepared by the condensation of 3‐trifluoromethylphenol and 4,4′‐bismethoxymethylbiphenyl catalyzed in the presence of strong Lewis acid. Resin blends mixed by FBE with phenolic resin as curing agent showed low melt viscosity (1.3–2.5 Pa s) at 120–122°C. Experimental results indicated that the cured fluorinated epoxy resins possess good thermal stability with 5% weight loss under 409–415°C, high glass‐transition temperature of 139–151°C (determined by dynamic mechanical analysis), and outstanding mechanical properties with flexural strength of 117–121 MPa as well as tensile strength of 71–72 MPa. The thermally cured fluorinated biphenyl‐type epoxy resin also showed good electrical insulation properties with volume resistivity of 0.5–0.8 × 10¹⁷ Ω cm and surface resistivity of 0.8–4.6 × 10¹⁶ Ω. The measured dielectric constants at 1 MHz were in the range of 3.8–4.1 and the measured dielectric dissipation factors (tan δ) were in the range of 3.6–3.8 × 10^?3. It was found that the fluorinated epoxy resins have improved dielectric properties, lower moisture adsorption, as well as better flame‐retardant properties compared with the corresponding commercial biphenyl‐type epoxy resins. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Synthesis and properties of poly(aryl ether ketone)‐based phthalonitrile resins

A series of poly(aryl ether ketone) oligomers containing phthalonitrile were synthesized by a direct solution polycondensation, and characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and hydrogen nuclear magnetic resonance. Differential scanning calorimetry results showed the oligomers had low melting points and large processing windows (103–124°C) in the presence of bis[4‐(4‐aminophenoxy)phenyl]sulfone. The uncured synthesized oligomers had good solubility while the cured samples became insoluble in common organic solvents. Isothermal rheometric analysis showed the rate of phthalonitrile polymerization could be controlled easily by varying concentration of curing additive and curing temperature, which indicated that the oligomers possessed good processability. Gel content measurements demonstrated that the cured oligomers had high crosslinking density with the significantly high gel content over 90.1%. Dynamic mechanical analysis indicated the oligomeric phthalonitrile resins according to our curing procedure possessed good thermal mechanical properties. Thermogravimetric analysis of cured resins showed the highest temperature for 5% weight loss reached 515 and 516°C under nitrogen and air, respectively, and the char yield was over 67% at 800°C, revealing that the phthalonitrile resins possessed excellent thermal and thermo‐oxidative stability. This kind of the oligomeric phthalonitrile resins may be used as a good candidate for high‐performance polymeric materials. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:1695–1703, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Bis(3-aminophenyl)methyl phosphine oxide-based (methyl) nadicimide resins

Ten nadicimide/methyl nadicimide end-capped oligomeric resins were prepared by reacting endo-5-norbornene-2,3-dicarboxylic acid anhydride (methyl nadic anhydride), pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA)/3,3′,4,4′-benzophenone tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (BTDA)/2,2-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl)hexafluoropropane dianhydride (6F), and bis(3-aminophenyl) methyl phospine oxide (BAP) in glacial acetic acid/acetone. Structural characterization of the resins was done by elemental analysis, IR, and ¹H-NMR. Multistep decomposition was observed in the TG scan of uncured resins in a nitrogen atmosphere. Residual weight at 800°C depended on the structure and ranged between 25 and 51%. Isothermal curing of the resins was done at 300°C for 1 h in an air atmosphere. These cured resins were stable to 350 ± 30°C and decomposed in a single step above this temperature. The char yield of the resins increased on curing and was in the range 34–70%. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polm Sci 65:861–869, 1997     

Multifunctional epoxy resins

The curing behavior of epoxy resins prepared by reacting epichlorohydrin with 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl methane (DADPM)/4,4′-diaminodiphenyl ether (DADPE) or 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl sulfone (DDS) was investigated using DDS and tris-(m-aminophenyl)phosphine oxide (TAP) as curing agents. A broad exothermic transition with two maxima were observed in the temperature range of 100–315°C when TAP was used as the curing agent. The effect of varying DDS concentration on curing behavior of epoxy resin was also investigated. Peak exotherm temperature (T_exo) decreased with increasing concentration of DDS, whereas heat of curing (ΔH) increased with an increase in amine concentration up to an optimum value and then decreased. Thermal stability of the resins, cured isothermally at 200°C for 3 h, was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis in a nitrogen atmosphere. Glass fiber-reinforced multifunctional epoxy resin laminates were fabricated and the mechanical properties were evaluated. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Preparation and properties of bismaleimide resins of aromatic sulfone ether diamine

Aromatic sulfone ether diamine, bis[4-(4-aminophenoxy)phenyl]-sulfone (SED), was prepared by the nucleophilic aromatic substitution of 4,4′-dichlorodiphenylsulphone by p-aminophenolate. The reaction was conducted in the presence of excess potassium carbonate as a weak base, toluene as the dehydrating agent and N-methylpyrrolidone as the dipolar aprotic solvent. SED showed good solubility in common organic solvents, such as dioxan, tetrahydrofuran, butanone and acetone. SED was reacted with maleic anhydride to obtain aromatic sulfone ether bismaleimide, bis[4-(4-maleimidophenoxy)phenyl]-sulfone (SEM). The compounds were characterized by FTIR and ¹H NMR analysis. Furthermore, copolymer resins of SED with 4,4′-bismaleimidodiphenyl methane (BMI) and SEM were prepared. After curing, crosslinked resins with better thermal stability resulted. The temperature at maximum rate of weight loss (T_max) and the heat-resistant temperature index (T_i) in air were found to be 426°C, 208°C and 579°C, 221°C for BMI/SED and SEM/SED resins, respectively. Compared with the corresponding 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl methane (DDM) system, BMI/SED and SEM/SED showed a slight decrease in T_max and T_i SED-modified BMI/amine resin based glass cloth laminates for printed circuit boards showed higher mechanical properties than those of the corresponding unmodified system. With SED instead of the original amine component in 3–5% weight fraction, the tensile strength, flexural strength and impact strength of the laminates increased markedly. Meanwhile, the stripping strength and weld resistance were also improved by the addition of SED.     

Synthesis,characterization, and thermal properties of cyanate esters with azo linkages

A series of azo functionalized diols were synthesized through diazotization which involves the reaction of amine with phenol and 2,6‐dimethyl phenol. Four different amines have been used to prepare five bisphenols. These bisphenols were converted to their corresponding cyanate esters by treatment with cyanogen bromide (BrCN) in the presence of triethylamine (Et₃N). The chemical structures of the prepared compounds were characterized with Fourier Transform Infrared, ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. Dynamic curing behavior was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry. The maximum curing temperature of these cyanate esters are in the range of (186–208°C). T_g values of the polycyanurate networks are in the range of 245–276°C. The thermal properties of cured cyanate ester were studied at a heating rate of 10°C min^?1 in N₂ atmosphere. The polymers showed excellent thermal stability (T₁₀ was found to be in the range 405–438°C) and the percentage of char yield at 800°C were found to be 30–49. The flame retardancy of the cyanate ester resins have been studied using limited oxygen index value which is in the range of 29.5–37.1 at 800°C. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:47–53, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Methyl nadimide resins: Synthesis and characterization

This article describes the synthesis and characterization of several methyl nadimides endcapped resins based on tris(3-aminophenyl)phosphine oxide. These resins were prepared by reacting methyl-5-norbornene 2,3-dicarboxylic anhydride (methyl nadic anhydride) (MNA), pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA)/3,3′,4,4′-benzophenone tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (BTDA)/2,2-bis(3,4-dicarboxyphenyl) hexafluoropropane dianhydride (6F), and tris(3-aminophenyl)phosphine oxide (TAP) in glacial acetic acid/acetone. Structural characterization of the resins was done by elemental analysis, IR, and ¹H-NMR. Thermal characterization of uncured resins using DSC and TGA techniques revealed an exothermic transition accompanied by a weight loss in the temperature range of 200–350°C. Residual weight at 800°C in nitrogen was found to be 47–55%. Isothermal curing of the resins was done at 340°C for 1 h in an air atmosphere. The cured resins were stable up to 400 ± 20°C. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Preparation and properties of bisphenol A‐based bis‐phthalonitrile composite laminates

A series of bisphenol A (BPA)‐based 2,2‐bis‐[4‐(3,4‐dicyanophenoxy)phenyl]propane (BAPh) prepolymers and polymers were prepared using BPA as a novel curing agent. Ultraviolet–visible and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectrum were used to study the polymerization reaction mechanism of the BAPh/BPA polymers. The curing behaviors were studied by differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic rheological analysis, the results indicated that the BAPh/BPA prepolymers exhibit large processing windows (109.5–148.5°C) and low complex viscosity (0.1–1 Pa·s) at moderate temperature, respectively. Additionally, the BAPh/BPA/glass fiber (GF) composite laminates were manufactured and investigated. The flexural strength and modulus of the composite laminates are 548.7–632.8 MPa and 25.7–33.2 GPa, respectively. The thermal stabilities of BAPh/BPA/GF composite laminates were studied by thermogravimetry analysis. The temperatures at 5% weight loss (T_5%) of the composite laminates are 508.5–528.7°C in nitrogen and 508.1–543.2°C in air. In conclusion, the BAPh/BPA systems can be used as superior matrix materials for numerous advanced composite applications. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Effect of post-curing on the mechanical properties of carbonized phenolic resins

After curing, phenol-formaldehyde resins were post-cured at 160°C, 230°C, and 300°C in air for several hours, and then those post-cured samples were carbonized at 1000°C. The effect of post-curing on the physical properties and microstructure of the carbonized phenolic resin is reported in this article. The purpose of post-curing was to improve the mechanical properties of the carbonized resins. The post-curing process promoted the crosslinking reaction and the evolution of gases. The cured resin post-cured at a higher post-curing temperature (300°C) had a significantly higher weight loss, greater linear shrinkage and lower density than others samples. During carbonization the post-curing process not only decreased the weight loss but also limited the shrinkage. Post-curing also promoted the formation of carbon basal planes and the chemical densification in structures of the final carbonized resins. The increase in post-curing temperature and time had the effect of reducing the linear shrinkage of the resin during carbonization. The TGA thermal analysis showed that the post-cured resins improved the total weight loss more than 15 wt% over the unpost-cured resin. The carbonized resins developed from the post-cured resins had a greater flexural modulus by about 10–50% and improved the linear shrinkage by about 10% over that developed from unpost-cured resin.     

High temperature laminating resins based on maleimido end-capped pyromellitimide

A novel class of bismaleimides, biscitraconimides, and bisdichloromaleimides chain-extended by pyromellitimide was prepared and characterized by infrared and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. These polymer precursors were prepared by reacting maleic/citraconic/dichloromaleic anhydride (1 mol) with an equimolar amount of a diamine and subsequently with pyromellitic dianhydride (0.5 mol). The tetraamic acid formed was cyclodehydrated by chemical or thermal means. The curing behavior of polymer precursors was investigated by differential thermal analysis. Bismaleimide was thermally polymerized at a relatively higher temperature than the corresponding biscitraconimide and at lower temperature than bisdichloromaleimide. The curing temperature of monomers fluctuated between 209 and 318°C. Dynamic thermogravimetric analysis of the cured aromatic resins showed that they were approximately stable up to 370°C both in nitrogen and air. Their char yield was 53–63% at 800°C under anaerobic conditions. The relative thermal stability of the cured resins, with respect the diamine utilized for imidization, was of the order p-phenylenediamine > 4-aminophenyl ether > 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane > 4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone > hexamethylenediamine. In addition, the thermal and thermooxidative stability of polymers was ascertained by isothermal gravimetric analysis.     

Branched phenyl‐s‐triazine moieties to enhance thermal properties of phthalonitrile thermosets

Heat‐resistant materials have made tremendous progress in marine, aerospace and microelectronic fields. Herein, a new class of phthalonitrile resins, branched poly(biphenyl ether triphenyl‐s‐triazine) phthalonitriles, were successfully synthesized via a two‐step, one‐pot reaction, on the basis of 2,4,6‐tris(4‐fluorophenyl)‐1,3,5‐triazine and 4,4′‐biphenol. 4,4′‐Diaminodiphenylsulfone was employed to facilitate the curing reaction, and successful realization of curing behavior was concluded from rheological and differential scanning calorimetric studies, indicating the obtained resins possess favorable processability. The relationship between concentration of reactants and properties of the resins was systematically studied. After thermal curing, the E‐glass fiber‐reinforced composite, prepared with a concentration of reactants of 0.15 g mL^?1, shows an admirable glass transition temperature of 480 °C and commendable thermal stability with 5% weight loss temperature in nitrogen of 563 °C, suggesting that the improvement of the thermal properties stems from the branched structure and the phenyl‐s‐triazine units. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry     

Mechanical and dielectric properties of cured 1,2‐bis(vinylphenyl)ethane resin modified with poly(phenylene oxide)

1,2‐Bis(vinylphenyl)ethane (BVPE) could be cured without curing agents at relatively low temperatures (～ 180°) in a nitrogen atmosphere. Cured BVPE (CBVPE) resin showed exceptionally low dielectric constant (? = 2.50 at 10 GHz) and low dielectric loss tangent (tan δ = 0.0012 at 10 GHz), and had excellent thermal resistance. Its 5 wt % weight‐loss temperature was 425°C in a nitrogen atmosphere and glass transition temperature was over 400°C. Poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO) was used to improve the toughness of CBVPE resin. PPO was an effective modifier to toughen CBVPE resin: when using 30 wt % of the modifier, the tensile strength and elongation of the modified CBVPE resin were 75 MPa and 26%, respectively. The modified CBVPE resin also showed excellent dielectric properties (? = 2.45 at 10 GHz, tan δ = 0.0015 at 10 GHz). © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 1252–1258, 2004     

Blends of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and epoxy as matrix material for continuous fibre reinforced composites

Abstract

The morphology and mechanical properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)–epoxy blends and the application of these blends in continuous glass fibre reinforced composites have been investigated. Epoxy resin was applied as a reactive solvent for PET to obtain homogeneous solutions with a substantially decreased melt viscosity. The epoxy resin in these solutions was cured using an amine hardener according to two different schedules. In the first, high temperature curing at 260°C preceded low temperature crystallisation of the PET at 180°C. In the second, the PET was allowed to crystallise prior to low temperature curing at 180°C. After cure, all blends revealed a phase separated morphology of dispersed epoxy in a continuous PET matrix. The flexural strength and failure strain of all cured blends showed an increase with increasing epoxy content, whereas the high temperature cured blends exhibited overall lower flexural properties than those cured at the lower temperature. Microstructural analysis and flexural properties of continuous glass fibre reinforced PET–epoxy laminates showed that the composites obtained had a low void content. These PET–epoxy laminates had increased inplane shear strength in comparison with unmodified PET based laminates, indicating considerably increased fibre–matrix adhesion.     

Catalytic effect of 2,2′‐diallyl bisphenol A on thermal curing of cyanate esters

Cyanate esters are a class of thermal resistant polymers widely used as thermal resistant and electrical insulating materials for electric devices and structural composite applications. In this article, the effect of 2,2′‐diallyl bisphenol A (DBA) on catalyzing the thermal curing of cyanate ester resins was studied. The curing behavior, thermal resistance, and thermal mechanical properties of these DBA catalyzed cyanate ester resins were characterized. The results show that DBA is especially suitable for catalyzing the polymerization of the novolac cyanate ester resin (HF‐5), as it acts as both the curing catalyst through depressing the exothermic peak temperature (T_exo) by nearly 100°C and the toughening agent of the novolac cyanate ester resin by slightly reducing the elastic modulus at the glassy state. The thermogravimetric analysis and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis show that the 5 wt % DBA‐catalyzed novolac cyanate ester resin exhibits good thermal resistance with T_d⁵ of 410°C and the char yield at 900°C of 58% and can retain its mechanical strength up to 250°C. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 101: 1775–1786, 2006     

Curing behaviors and properties of novolac/bisphthalonitrile blends

Bisphthalonitrile (BAPh) monomer was blended with novolac resins to achieve good processing resin blends. The curing behaviors of the novolac/BAPh (novolac/BAPh) blends were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic rheological analysis. The results indicated that the blends had large processing windows (98–118°C), and they can copolymerize without any other curing additives. The novolac/BAPh copolymers were obtained by short curing times and low curing temperatures. Thermal and thermal-oxidative stabilities of the copolymers were investigated by thermal gravimetric analysis, and the char yields up to 74 and 35% by weight at 800°C were achieved under nitrogen and air atmosphere, respectively. These postcured copolymers exhibited a 5% weight loss temperature of 502°C in air. These results revealed that the copolymers exhibited excellent thermal and thermal-oxidative stabilities. Dynamic mechanical properties of the copolymers were systematically evaluated by dynamic mechanical analysis. The copolymers exhibited higher glass transition temperatures (T_g) as the BAPh content increased. Mechanical properties of the copolymers were investigated, and these data showed that flexural strength and flexural modulus of the 50 : 50 novolac/BAPh copolymers were 91 MPa and 5.78 GPa, respectively. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012