Synthesis and properties of lyotropic liquid crystalline copolyamides containing phthalazinone moiety and ether linkages

A series of aromatic copolyamides containing phthalazinone moiety and ether linkages were prepared from 1,2-dihydro-2-(4-aminophenyl)-4-[4-(4-(aminophenoxyl)phenyl)](2H)phthalazin-1-one (DHPZ-DA), p-phenylenediamine (PPD), 4,4′-diaminodiphenylether (DAPE) and terephthaloyl dichloride (TPC) by low temperature solution polycondensation. The copolyamides had relatively high inherent viscosities, ranging from 1.86 to 5.30 dl/g. The copolyamides showed T_g values between 297 and 351 °C. Solubility of these copolyamides was improved in NMP, DMAc, NMP (1 wt% LiCl) and DMAc (1 wt% LiCl) by introducing phthalazinone moiety and ether linkages into the main chain. And they had good thermal stability, associated with 5 and 10% weight loss temperatures in the range of 480-516 and 501-532 °C in nitrogen, respectively. WAXD measures indicated these copolyamides were semicrystalline in nature. Some of these copolyamides exhibited lyotropic liquid crystalline behavior in concentrated H₂SO₄, NMP (1 wt% LiCl), and even in NMP solutions, as evidenced by polarizing light microscopy.     

Synthesis and properties of sulfonated copoly(phthalazinone ether imides) as electrolyte membranes in fuel cells

A new series of six-member sulfonated copolyimides (SPIs) were prepared by one-step solution copolycondensation from 1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (NTDA), 1,2-dihydro-2-(4-amino-2-sulfophenyl)-4-[4-(4-amino-2-sulfonphenoxy)-phenyl] (2H)phthalazin-1-one (S-DHPZDA), 4,4′-bis(4-aminophenoxy) biphenyl (BAPB) and 1,2-dihydro-2-(4-aminophenyl)-4-[4-(4-(aminophenoxyl)phenyl)](2H)phthalazin-1-one (DHPZDA). The sulfonation degree (DS) of the SPIs was controlled by the mol ratio of the sulfonated diamine and non-sulfonated diamine. The obtained SPI membranes had excellent thermal stability, high mechanical property and proton conductivity as well as low methanol permeability. The tensile strength of the SPI membranes was ranging from 54.7 to 98.1 MPa, which was much higher than that of Nafion^®. The SPI membranes exhibited high proton conductivity (σ) and low methanol permeability ranged from 10⁻³ to 10⁻² S/cm and 10⁻⁸ to 10⁻⁷ cm²/s depending on the DS of the polymers, respectively.     

New class of liquid crystalline epoxy resins: Synthesis and properties

A new class of liquid crystalline epoxy resins has been developed by reacting the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) with two new mesogenic diols, 3,3′-dimethoxy-4,4′-di(hydroxyhexoxy)-N-benzylidene-o-tolidine and 4,4′-di(6-hydroxyhexoxy)-N-benzylidene-o-tolidine, containing azomethine groups. Fourier transformed infra-red (FT-IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and CHN elemental analysis were used to confirm the chemical structures of these azomethine mesogenic diols. Cure reaction between DGEBA and the mesogenic diols were carried out with different ratios 1:1, 1:2 and 2:1. The mesogenic phase transitions for azomethine mesogenic diols and cured polymers were examined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized optical microscopy (POM). Thermal, mechanical and adhesion properties were then investigated for the cured polymers based on new azomethine mesogenic diols. The cured polymers were found to exhibit high thermal stability, flexibility and good adhesion properties compared to conventional resins.     

Soluble and curable poly(phthalazinone ether amide)s with terminal cyano groups and their crosslinking to heat resistant resin

Soluble and curable aromatic polyamides have great potential use as processable and heat-resistant polymeric materials. In this study, a novel series of soluble aromatic polyamides (CN-PPAs) containing phthalazinone moiety and crosslinkable terminal cyano groups were synthesized by polycondensation of 1,2-dihydro-2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-4-[4-(4-carboxyphenoxyl)phenyl]-phthalazinone (DHPZ-DC) with calculated 4,4′-oxydianiline (ODA), followed by end-capping with 4-cyanobenzoic acid (CBA). Thermal crosslinking of CN-PPAs, catalyzed by zinc chloride, was then performed in the presence of terephthalonitrile (TPH) via heating either their films or powders up to 300-340 °C. The uncured synthesized polymers have good solubility while the cured samples become insoluble in common organic solvents. Spectra and elemental analysis measurements demonstrate cyclization reaction of terminal cyano groups to form s-triazine rings. The presence of TPH and ZnCl₂ is effective in promoting thermal crosslinking and s-triazine forming reaction of the CN-PPAs under normal pressure. The resulting cured samples exhibit no T_g up to 400 °C by DSC and have excellent thermal stability. This kind of cyano-terminated poly(phthalazinone ether amide) may be a good candidate as matrix for high performance polymeric materials.     

Aminic epoxy resin hardeners as reactive solvents for conjugated polymers: polyaniline base/epoxy composites for anticorrosion coatings

Polyaniline (PANI) has much been studied in the context of corrosion prevention, particularly on steel and aluminium. To prepare epoxy coatings consisting of PANI has turned to be nontrivial, due to its relatively rigid conformation and poor solubility. Therefore, as the aim has typically been first to dissolve PANI in the epoxy component before curing, auxiliary solvents have been required, and less attractive Lewis-type hardeners have been required if the conducting salt form has been used. In this work, we describe a particularly simple concept where emeraldine base (EB) form of PANI is first dissolved in specific aminic hardeners which are observed to be solvents for EB at low concentrations, and the mixtures are unconventionally cross-linked upon adding epoxy resin, diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA). Suitable hardeners are N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis(3-aminopropyl)-1,4-butanediamine (DAB-AM-4) and trimethylhexanediamine (TMDA). Even if the subsequent cross-linking promotes phase separation, the forming cross-link sites may also control the phase separation. As a result, sufficiently homogeneous coatings are identified which contain only 1 wt% EB in the cured EB/DGEBA/TMDA composites where in aqueous 3.5% NaCl solution the corrosion front propagation is suppressed, and electrochemical impedance studies indicate the formation of a charged interface or reaction product layer between EB and steel. For reference, similar net EB/DGEBA/TMDA-compositions were prepared, where EB was first mixed in DGEBA without any solubility and which were cured by added TMDA, and they gave essentially no anticorrosion effect. We expect that the present concept opens new ways to prepare cured epoxy composites also with other conjugated or nonconjugated polymers for anticorrosion and other functional purposes.     

Comparison of morphologies and mechanical properties of crosslinked epoxies modified by polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate)) or by the corresponding block copolymer polystyrene-b-poly(methyl methacrylate)

Polystyrene (PS, M_n=28,400, PI=1.07), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA, M_n=88,600, PI=1.03), and PS (50,000)-b-PMMA (54,000) (PI=1.04), were used as modifiers of an epoxy formulation based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and m-xylylene diamine (MXDA). Both PS and PMMA were initially miscible in the stoichiometric mixture of DGEBA and MXDA at 80 °C, but were phase separated in the course of polymerization. Solutions containing 5 wt% of each one of both linear polymers exhibited a double phase separation. A PS-rich phase was segregated at a conversion close to 0.02 and a PMMA rich phase was phase separated at a conversion close to 0.2. Final morphologies, observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), consisted on a separate dispersion of PS and PMMA domains. A completely different morphology was observed when employing 10 wt% of PS-b-PMMA as modifier. PS blocks with M_n=50,000 were not soluble in the initial formulation. However, they were dispersed as micelles stabilized by the miscible PMMA blocks, leading to a transparent solution up to the conversion where PMMA blocks began to phase separate. A coalescence of the micellar structure into a continuous thermoplastic phase percolating the epoxy matrix was observed. The elastic modulus and yield stress of the cured blend modified by both PS and PMMA were 2.64 GPa and 97.2 MPa, respectively. For the blend modified by an equivalent amount of block copolymer these values were reduced to 2.14 GPa and 90.0 MPa. Therefore, using a block copolymer instead of the mixture of individual homopolymers and selecting an appropriate epoxy-amine formulation to provoke phase separation of the miscible block well before gelation, enables to transform a micellar structure into a bicontinuous thermoplastic/thermoset structure that exhibits the desired decrease in yield stress necessary for toughening purposes.     

Preparation of clay/epoxy nanocomposites by layered-double-hydroxide initiated self-polymerization

An anionic clay, magnesium-aluminum layered double hydroxide (Mg₂Al-NO₃-LDH), was prepared by a co-precipitation method and intercalated with poly(oxypropylene)-amindocarboxylic acid (POP-amido acid). Depending on the POP-intercalating agents with molecular weight at 2000 or 400 g/mol, the intercalated LDHs were analyzed to have d spacing of 6.8 or 2.7 nm and organic incorporation of 80 and 55 wt%, respectively. Two comparative POP/LDH hybrids were allowed to initiate the self-polymerization of the epoxy resin, diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA). The curing rate was significantly increased by using the hybrids as initiators for epoxy curing, demonstrated by DSC thermal analysis that the exothermic peak shifted from 182 to 152 °C by increasing organoclay addition. The resultant nanocomposites prepared from the anionic LDH initiated epoxy self-polymerization have the improved thermal and physical properties, evidenced by TGA, XRD, TEM, and SEM analyses.     

Synthesis and characterization of partly fluorinated poly(phthalazinone ether)s crosslinked by allyl group for passive optical waveguides

It is necessary to introduce cross-linkable groups onto polymer chains as the processability and thermal stability of the polymers for passive waveguide device applications are very dependent on their cross-linking capabilities. Herein a series of novel cross-linkable allyl-containing fluorinated poly(phthalazinone ether)s (Allyl-FPPEs) have been prepared by a modified polycondensation of 4-(4-hydroxylphenyl)(2H)-phthalazin-1-one (DHPZ), decafluorobiphenyl (DFBP), 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphenol (6F-BPA), and 3,3′-diallyl-4,4′-dihydroxybiphenyl (DA-DHBP) for optical waveguide applications. The obtained random polymers were characterized by FT-IR, NMR and GPC. The resulting polymers having good solubility in polar organic solvents at room temperature, can be easily spin-coated into thin films with attracting optical quality, good thermal stabilities (the temperatures of 1% mass-loss after curing: 455-503 °C), and high glass transition temperatures (T_gs: 167-251 °C) which could further increase by about 20 °C after thermal cross-linking. The crosslinked polymer films exhibit good optical properties. By adjusting the feed ratio of the reactants, the refractive indices of TE and TM modes (at 1550 nm) could be well controlled in the range of 1.4998-1.5618 and 1.4954-1.5520, respectively. The optical losses of the crosslinked polymers possess rather low values, less than 0.3 dB/cm at 1550 nm.     

Cure kinetics and thermal properties of tetramethylbiphenyl epoxy resin/phthalazinone‐containing diamine/hexa(phenoxy)cyclotriphophazene system

Inherently flame retardant epoxy resin is a kind of halogen‐free material for making high‐performance electronic materials. This work describes an inherently flame retardant epoxy system composed of 4,4′‐diglycidyl (3,3′,5,5′‐tetramethylbiphenyl) epoxy resin (TMBP), 1,2‐dihydro‐2‐(4‐aminophenyl)‐4‐(4‐(4‐aminophenoxy) phenyl) (2H) phthalazin‐1‐one (DAP), and hexa(phenoxy) cyclotriphophazene (HPCTP). The cure kinetics of TMBP/DAP in the presence or absence of HPCTP were investigated using isoconversional method by means of nonisothermal differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Kinetic analysis results indicated that the effective activation energy (E_α) decreased with increasing the extent of conversion (α) for TMBP/DAP system because diffusion‐controlled reaction dominated the curing reaction gradually in the later cure stage. TMBP/DAP/HPCTP(10 wt %) system had higher E_α values than those of TMBP/DAP system in the early cure stage (α < 0.35), and an increase phenomenon of E_α ～ α dependence in the later cure stage (α ≥ 0.60) due to kinetic‐controlled reaction in the later cure stage. Such complex E_α ～ α dependence of TMBP/DAP/HPCTP(10 wt %) system might be associated with the change of the physical state (mainly viscosity) of the curing system due to the introduction of HPCTP. These cured epoxy resins had very high glass transition temperatures (202–235°C), excellent thermal stability with high 5 wt % decomposition temperatures (>340°C) and high char yields (>25.6 wt %). © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Synthesis and characterization of highly soluble 9,10-diphenyl-substituted poly(2,6-anthracenevinylene)

We report the synthesis and optoelectronic properties of highly soluble poly(9,10-bis(3′,4′-di(2″-ethylhexyloxy))phenyl)-2,6-anthracenevinylene) (HSM-PAV). The key intermediate for the synthesis of HSM-PAV is 2,6-dimethyl-9,10-dibromoanthracene, and the high solubility of HSM-PAV is from the incorporation of lateral 3,4-di(2-ethylhexyloxy)phenyl moieties into the 9,10-positions of anthracene units. The increase of side alkyloxy groups endows HSM-PAV with higher molecular weight (M_n = 3.2 × 10⁴) and better electroluminescence performances (L_max = 590 cd/m², LE_max = 0.27 cd/A) compared with the poly(2,6-anthracenevinylene) with lateral monoalkyoxy moieties (M_n = 1.9 × 10⁴, L_max = 340 cd/m², LE_max = 0.17 cd/A). The electrical conductivity of doped HSM-PAV film with iodine is 5 × 10⁻² S cm⁻¹ that is several order higher than that of doped 9,10-anthracene-based polymers, further demonstrating that linkage position has a dramatic effect on the optoelectronic properties of anthracene-based conjugated polymers.     

Synthesis and electroluminescence properties of fluorene-co-diketopyrrolopyrrole-co-phenothiazine polymers

A series of fluorene-co-diketopyrrolopyrrole(DPP)-co-phenothiazine polymers, named as Flu-DPP-Phen, were synthesized by a palladium-catalyzed Suzuki coupling reaction with different feed ratios among 9,9-dihexylfluorene-2,7-bis(trimethylene boronate), 2,5-dioctyl-3,6-bis(4-bromophenyl)pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione, and 3,7-dibromo-10-octylphenothiazine. Their chemical structures and compositions were confirmed by ¹H NMR and elemental analysis. These terpolymers were found to be thermally stable and readily soluble in common organic solvents. Absorption and photoluminescence (PL) properties of Flu-DPP-Phen exhibit regular change with increasing of DPP contents in the terpolymers. Electroluminescence (EL) properties of all the terpolymers were characterized with the device configurations of ITO/PEDOT/terpolymer/Ba/Al and ITO/PEDOT/PVK/terpolymer/Ba/Al. Owing to exciton confinement on the narrow band gap DPP unit, the emission of fluorene segments is quenched completely with very low content of DPP (0.2 mol%). The EL spectra of all the terpolymers show exclusive long-wavelength emission originating from DPP units, which implied that the energy transfer in the terpolymer is very efficient. EL colors of the terpolymers vary from orange to red, the maximum emission is gradually red-shifted from 582 nm to 600 nm. The best EL performance was achieved by Flu-DPP-Phen(50:30:20) with maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 0.25% and maximum brightness of 259 cd/m² in the device configuration of ITO/PEDOT/PVK/terpolymer/Ba/Al. The preliminary EL results proved that DPP units could effectively improve the electron affinity, and phenothiazine units could significantly enhance the hole injection ability, which resulted in the remarkable improvement of EQE.     

New anhydride/epoxy thermosets based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A and 10-undecenoyl modified poly(ethyleneimine) with improved impact resistance

New dendritic modifiers have been synthesized by amidation of hyperbranched poly(ethylenimine) (PEIs) with 10-undecenoic acid to obtain hyperbranched polymers (HBPs) with different degree of modification. These HBPs have been used as toughness modifiers in a proportion of 10 and 20% in reference to the epoxy resin in diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA)/methyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride (MTHPA) formulations. The curing process has been studied by dynamic scanning calorimetry and by rheometry, which allow the kinetic constants and the gel and vitrification times to be evaluated. The materials obtained have been thermally characterized and their mechanical properties have been evaluated. An increase in impact resistance has been achieved and the T_g of all thermosets prepared was higher than 100 °C in spite of the flexible structure of the PEI modifiers.     

New copper(II)-coordinated epoxy-amine polymers with flame-self-extinguishment properties: Elaboration,combustibility testing,and flame propagation rate measuring

In the DGEBA - pepa - CuSiF₆ system (DGEBA is diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A; pepa is polyethylenepolyamine containing ethylenediamine (eda) and diethylenetriamine (deta)), a new flame retardant-hardener for epoxy resins in the form of a chelate complex [Cu(eda)(deta)]SiF₆ was synthesized and incorporated into the DGEBA to obtain a number of CuSiF₆-containing epoxy-amine polymers with reduced combustibility and flame-self-extinguishment properties. The resulting samples of the DGEBA/pepa-CuSiF₆(I-V) were characterized using FTIR spectra, combustibility, and flammability tests and the smoke formation factor measurements. The combustibility of the polymer samples were investigated using “Ceramic tube” (CT) method. Results of CT measurement reveal that maximal temperature of gaseous products of combustion for modified epoxy-amine polymers in comparison with the unmodified epoxy appreciably goes down and weight loss lessen. The flammability of the samples was evaluated by means of UL94 BH and UL94 BV methods. The burning rate of the DGEBA/pepa-CuSiF₆(III) and DGEBA/pepa-CuSiF₆(IV) polymers containing 44 and 66 weight fractions of CuSiF₆, respectively, is dramatically reduced compared to that for unmodified epoxy (these samples do not support flame propagation). The r_burn. Values for the unmodified epoxy-amine sample (DGEBA/pepa) is 25.13 mm·min⁻¹.     

Epoxy nanocomposites with octa(propylglycidyl ether) polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane

The POSS-containing nanocomposites of epoxy resin were prepared via the co-curing reaction between octa(propylglycidyl ether) polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (OpePOSS) and the precursors of epoxy resin. The curing reactions were started from the initially homogeneous ternary solution of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), 4,4′-Diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM) and OpePOSS. The nanocomposites containing up to 40 wt% of POSS were obtained. The homogeneous dispersion of POSS cages in the epoxy matrices was evidenced by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) showed that at the lower POSS concentrations (<30 wt%) the glass transition temperatures (T_gs) of the nanocomposites almost remained invariant whereas the nanocomposites containing POSS more than 40 wt% displayed the lower T_gs than the control epoxy. The DMA results show that the moduli of the nanocomposites in glass and rubbery states are significantly higher than those of the control epoxy, indicating the nanoreinforcement effect of POSS cages. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicates that the thermal stability of the polymer matrix was not sacrificed by introducing a small amount of POSS, whereas the properties of oxidation resistance of the materials were significantly enhanced. The improved thermal stability could be ascribed to the nanoscaled dispersion of POSS cages and the formation of tether structure of POSS cages with epoxy matrix.     

Studying on the curing kinetics of a DGEBA/EMI-2,4/nano-sized carborundum system with two curing kinetic methods

Curing kinetics of a bisphenol-A glycidol ether epoxy resin (DGEBA)/2-ethyl-4-methylimidazole (EMI-2,4)/nano-sized SiC(nano-SiC) system was investigated with two kinetic methods by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Methods I and II were deduced by assuming a constant E and a variable E, respectively. With method I, the cure reaction activation energy E, the frequency factor A and the overall order of reaction m+n are calculated to be 71.75 kJ mol⁻¹, e^20.55 and 2.20, respectively. These results were used to have a simple qualitative comparison with the DGEBA/EMI-2,4 system. With method II, E is proved to decrease initially, and then increase as the cure reaction proceeds. The value of E spans from 42.4 to 95.8 kJ mol⁻¹. Furthermore, the variations of E were also used to study the cure reaction mechanism, and the shrinking core model was used to study the resin-particle reaction. Methods I and II are effective as long as they are used in proper aspects. With these two methods used all together, we can have a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the curing kinetics of the DGEBA/EMI-2,4/nano-SiC system and the effect of nano-SiC particles on the curing kinetics of the DGEBA/EMI-2,4 system.     

Synthesis and characterization of organic/inorganic epoxy nanocomposites from poly(aminopropyl/phenyl)silsesquioxanes

Organic/inorganic epoxy nanocomposites containing diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), 4‐methylhexahydrophthalic anhydride (MHHPA) and poly(aminopropyl/phenyl) silsesquioxanes (PAPPS) were prepared and characterized. PAPPS were synthesized via fluoride‐catalyzed cage formation from random‐structured poly(phenyl)silsesquioxane (PPS) and 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) in tetrahydrofuran (THF) using tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF) catalyst containing substantial water. The PPS/APTES stoichiometric ratios were varied. The FTIR, ¹H, solid‐state 29 Si‐NMR studies show that PAPPS probably consists of cages, partial cages, and some linear structures containing phenyl and aminopropyl functional groups. The amine content was determined by back titration and elemental analysis. In comparison with neat epoxy, incorporation of these materials can improve the resultant thermal stabilities, raise glass transition temperatures (T_gs), and reduce coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) of epoxy nanocomposites as confirmed by TG/DTA, DMA and TMA tests, respectively. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Rechargeable Li/LiFePO4 cells using N-methyl-N-butyl pyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide-LiTFSI electrolyte incorporating polymer additives

We have incorporated polymer additives such as poly(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether (PEGDME) and tetra(ethylene glycol) dimethyl ether (TEGDME) into N-methyl-N-butylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide (PYR₁₄TFSI)-LiTFSI mixtures. The resulting PYR₁₄TFSI + LiTFSI + polymer additive ternary electrolyte exhibited relatively high ionic conductivity as well as remarkably low viscosity over a wide temperature range compared to the PYR₁₄TFSI + LiTFSI binary electrolytes. The charge/discharge cyclability of Li/LiFePO₄ cells containing the ternary electrolytes was investigated. We found that Li/PYR₁₄TFSI + LiTFSI + PEGDME (or TEGDME)/LiFePO₄ cells containing the two different polymer additives showed very similar discharge capacity behavior, with very stable cyclability at room temperature (RT). Li/PYR₁₄TFSI + LiTFSI + TEGDME/LiFePO₄ cells can deliver about 127 mAh/g of LiFePO₄ (74.7% of theoretical capacity) at 0.054 mA/cm² (0.2C rate) at RT and about 108 mAh/g of LiFePO₄ (63.4% of theoretical capacity) at 0.023 mA/cm² (0.1C rate) at −1 °C for the first discharge. The cell exhibited a capacity fading rate of approximately 0.09-0.15% per cycle over 50 cycles at RT. Consequently, the PYR₁₄TFSI + LiTFSI + polymer additive ternary mixture is a promising electrolyte for cells using lithium metal electrodes such as the Li/LiFePO₄ cell reported here. These cells showed the capability of operating over a significant temperature range (∼0-∼30 °C).     

Use of the dielectric analysis to complement previous thermoanalytical studies on the system diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A/1,2 diamine cyclohexane

The dielectric analysis technique was used to characterize an epoxy cured system consisting of a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA, n=0) and 1,2 diaminecyclohexane (DCH). With this purpose, the permittivity ε′, the loss factor ε″, and the dissipation factor were determined experimentally. The transition observed within the temperature range studied was associated to a α-relaxation process, the T_g of which was taken as that corresponding to the maximum of the ε″−T curve recorded.Argand diagrams for the different temperatures were constructed, and owing to the asymmetry showed by these diagrams, the Havriliak-Negami model was used to analyze data. It was observed that, within the frequency range (0.1-300 Hz) used for this study, the relaxation time follows an Arrhenius behaviour, thus allowing calculation of the activation energy E_a and T_g in good agreement with literature values.     

New epoxy resins. I. The stability of epoxy–trialkoxyboroxines triaryloxyboroxine system

A polymer with high aromaticity and/or cyclic ring structures chain backbone usually has high heat, thermal, and flame resistance. Two diglycidyl ethers of bisphenols were prepared from 4,4′ isopropylidenediphenol (DGEBA) and 9,9-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) fluorene (DGEBF) for evaluation. Four boroxines—trimethoxyboroxine (TMB), triethoxyboroxine (TEB), triisopropoxyboroxine (TIPB) and triphenoxyboroxine (TPB)—were used as the curing agents. DGEBA and DGEBF cured with various boroxines indicate that the trend for their respective glass transition temperature (T_g's), degradation temperatures (T_d's), and gel fractions are TMB-cured epoxy ≈ TEB-cured epoxy < TIPB cured epoxy < TPB cured epoxy. The DGEBF system usually has a higher T_g, T_d, gel fraction, oxygen index (OI), and char yield than the related DGEBA system. DGEBF/DGEBA (80/20 mol ratio) shows a synergistic effect in regard to char formation. This effect exists not only in the copolymer system but also in blended homopolymers of the separately cured resins. A modified mechanism for the polymerization of phenyl glycidyl ether (PGE) with TMB has been proposed.     

Curing kinetics and properties of epoxy resin-fluorenyl diamine systems

Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol fluorene (DGEBF), 9,9-bis-(4-aminophenyl)-fluorene (BPF) and 9,9-bis-(3-methyl-4-aminophenyl)-fluorene (BMAPF) were synthesized to introduce more aromatic structures into the epoxy systems, and their chemical structures were characterized with FTIR, NMR and MS analyses. The curing kinetics of fluorenyl diamines with different epoxy resins including DGEBF, cycloaliphatic epoxy resin (TDE-85) and diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) was investigated using non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and determined by Kissinger, Ozawa and Crane methods. The thermal properties of obtained polymers were evaluated with dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results show that the values of activation energy (E_a) are strongly dependent on the structures of epoxy resin and curing agent. The curing reactivity of epoxy system is restrained by the introduction of rigid fluorene into chain backbone and flexible methyl into side groups. The cured DGEBF/fluorenyl diamine systems exhibit remarkably higher glass transition temperature, better thermal stability and lower moisture absorption compared to those of DGEBA/fluorenyl diamine systems, and display approximate heat resistance and much better moisture resistance relative to those of TDE-85/fluorenyl diamine systems.