Synthesis and curing behavior of a novel benzoxazine‐based bisphthalonitrile monomer

A novel bisphthalonitrile containing benzoxazine units (BZ‐BPH) was synthesized via a solventless method from 4,4′‐dihydroxybiphenyl, paraformaldehyde, and 4‐aminophenoxylphthalonitrile. The chemical structure of BZ‐BPH was confirmed by ¹H‐NMR and ¹³C‐NMR analyses. The curing behavior was investigated with DSC, FTIR, TGA, and rheology techniques. The monomer manifested a two‐stage thermal polymerization pattern. The first stage was attributed to the ring‐opening polymerization of benzoxazine moiety, and the second to the polymerization of phthalonitriles. Study about the effect of the catalysts including 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylsulfone and FeCl₃ on the polymerization of BZ‐BPH was performed, and the result indicated that the addition of these agents could increase the curing rate and lower the curing temperature. Additionally, the cured product showed excellent thermal and thermo‐oxidative stability, the high char yield was 76.0% by weight at 800°C in nitrogen atmosphere and 81.2% by weight at 600°C in air, and temperature at 5% weight loss (T_5%) in nitrogen and air was 477.9°C and 481.7°C, respectively. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Remarkable improvement of thermal stability of main‐chain benzoxazine oligomer by incorporating o‐norbornene as terminal functionality

A new main‐chain benzoxazine oligomer with o‐norbornene functionality as end groups has been designed and synthesized. As compared to traditional main‐chain type benzoxazine polymers, this benzoxazine oligomer with o‐norbornene terminal functionality can undergo further crosslinking polymerization after general ring‐opening polymerization of oxazine rings. Another main‐chain benzoxazine oligomer has also been designed based on the reaction of bisphenol‐A, 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane, paraformaldehyde, and phenol for comparison. The structure of the synthesized oligomers is confirmed by ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The molecular weight has been determined by using gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The benzoxazine oligomer containing o‐norbornene functionality can polymerize with multiple polymerization mechanisms rather than the single mechanism common to traditional 1,3‐benzoxazine resins. The polymerization mechanisms are monitored by in situ FTIR and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Moreover, the thermoset derived from the benzoxazine oligomer containing o‐norbornene functionality exhibits high thermal stability with the transition temperature of 360 °C and a high T_d5 of 404 °C. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45408.     

Synthesis and characterization of a novel acetylene‐ and maleimide‐terminated benzoxazine and its high‐performance thermosets

A novel acetylene‐ and maleimide‐terminated benzoxazine, 3‐(3‐ethynylphenyl)‐3,4‐dihydro‐2H‐6‐(N‐maleimido)‐1,3‐benzoxazine (MBZ‐apa), was successfully synthesized with N‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)maleimide, paraformaldehyde, and 3‐aminophenylacetylene. The structure of the benzoxazine is confirmed by FTIR and ¹H‐NMR spectroscopies. MBZ‐apa is easily dissolved in common organic solvents. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to study thermal cross‐linking behavior of MBZ‐apa. The DSC curve shows only a single exothermic peak due to the oxazine ring‐opening polymerization and the polymerization of the acetylene and maleimide groups occurring simultaneously in the same temperature range. Dynamic mechanical analyses (DMA) reveals that the novel polybenzoxazine exhibits high glass‐transition temperature (T_g) (ca. 348°C). The storage modulus arrives at 4.5 GPa in the range of room temperature to 330°C. The polybenzoxazine exhibits good thermal stability as evidenced by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Pyrolysis‐gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Pyrolysis‐GC/MS) was employed to characterize the polybenzoxazine. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Novel phenyl acetylene terminated poly(carborane‐silane): Synthesis,characterization, and thermal property

Phenyl acetylene terminated poly(carborane‐silanec) (PACS) was synthesized by the couple reaction of methyldichlorosilane with 1,7‐dilithio‐m‐carborane and lithium phenylacetylide. The structure was characterized using FTIR, ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR, ²⁹Si‐NMR, and gel permeation chromatography. PACS exhibits solubility in common organic solvents. Thermal and oxidative properties were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Thermoset exhibits extremely thermal and oxidative property and TGA curves show that the temperature of 5% weight loss (Td₅) is 762°C and char yield at 800°C is 94.2% in nitrogen. In air, surprisingly, both Td₅ and char yield at 800°C show slight increase, which is greater than 800°C and 95.6%, respectively. After pyrolysis, the char has no additional weight loss up to 800°C in air. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 2498–2503, 2007     

Methacrylate/acrylate terminated derivatives of diglycidyl hexahydrophthalate: Synthesis,structural, and thermal characterization

Mono‐ or di(meth)acrylate‐terminated derivatives of diglycidyl hexahydrophthalate (ER) were prepared by reacting 1 : 1 or 1 : 2M ratio of ER and methacrylic acid or acrylic acid. These vinyl ester (VE) resins were characterized by determining epoxy equivalent weight, acid number, and molecular weight by gel permeation chromatography. Structural characterization was done by FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. In the ¹H NMR spectra of acrylate‐terminated VE resins, three proton resonance signals were observed in the region 5.8–6.4 ppm due to vinyl group while in methacrylate‐terminated VE resins only two proton resonance signals due to vinylidene protons were observed at 5.6–6.1 ppm. The Brookfield viscosity (room temperature (25 ± 2)°C) of these resins diluted with varying amounts of MMA was determined at 20 rpm. Curing behavior was monitored by determination of gel time and differential scanning calorimetry. An exothermic transition was observed in the DSC scans in the temperature range of (81–150)°C. Isothermal curing of MMA‐diluted VE resins containing AIBN as an initiator was done at 60°C for 2 h in N₂ atmosphere, and then heating for another 2 h in static air atmosphere. Thermal stability of isothermally cured resins in N₂ atmosphere was evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis. All cured resins decomposed above 310°C in single step. Thermal stability of the cured resins having acrylate end caps was marginally higher than the resins having methacrylate end groups. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2006     

Studies on curing and thermal behavior of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol‐A and benzoxazine mixtures

This article describes the synthesis and characterization of benzoxazine monomers prepared by reacting the mixture of amine (aniline [A], 3‐chloroaniline [C], o‐toluidine [T]) and phenol (bisphenol‐A [B], phenol [P]) with formaldehyde [F]. The benzoxazine monomers prepared by reacting B and F with A, C, and T have been designated as BAF, BCF, and BTF, respectively. Structural characterization of benzoxazines was done using FTIR, ¹H NMR, and elemental analysis. The curing behavior of benzoxazine monomers was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry in the presence of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol‐A (DGEBA). In all the samples, the molar ratio of benzoxazine monomer:DGEBA, was varied as 1 :0, 3 : 1, 1 : 1, and 1 :3. The peak exotherm temperature (T_p) was lowest in all the samples having molar ratio of 3 : 1 benzoxazine:DGEBA and highest in samples having molar ratio of 1 : 3. The heat of polymerization (ΔH) was found to be maximum during curing of mixture of DGEBA and benzoxazine monomer prepared from phenol, aniline and formaldehyde (PAF). Thermal stability of benzoxazines:DGEBA mixture cured isothermally was evaluated by recording thermogravimetric traces in nitrogen atmosphere. The char yield was highest for a mixture having benzoxazine : DGEBA in the ratio of 3 : 1. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Curing kinetics,thermal, and adhesive properties of acetylene‐terminated benzoxazine

The acetylene‐terminated benzoxazine monomer (BB‐apa) has been synthesized using 2,2‐bis(4‐hydroxyphenyl)butane, 3‐aminophenylacetylene, and paraformaldehyde. The structure of the monomer was characterized by FTIR spectroscopy and ¹H NMR spectra, which indicated that the reactive oxazine ring and acetenyl groups existed in molecular structure of BB‐apa. The polymerization behavior was monitored by FTIR and non‐isothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), which showed that the BB‐apa had completely cured with multiple polymerization mechanisms according to oxazine ring‐opening and ethynyl addition polymerization. The curing kinetics results revealed that the introduction of ethynyl groups can accelerate the ring‐opening polymerization of benzoxazine, leading to a lower curing temperature and apparent activation energy. Moreover, the thermoset derived from the BB‐apa exhibits higher thermal stability and lap shear strength (at 350 °C) with the glass transition temperature of 353 °C compared with the traditional benzoxazine polymer without ethynyl groups (BB‐a). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44547.     

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     

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     

Syntheses of epoxy‐bridged polyorganosiloxanes and the effects of terminated alkoxysilanes on cured thermal properties

A series of epoxy‐bridged polyorganosiloxanes have been synthesized by reacting multifunctional aminoalkoxysilanes with diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy resin. The reactions of trifunctional 3‐aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), difunctional 3‐aminopropylmethyldiethoxysilane (APMDS), and monofunctional 3‐aminopropyldimethylethoxysilane (APDES) with DGEBA epoxy have been monitored and characterized by FTIR, ¹H NMR, and ²⁹Si NMR spectra in this study. The synthesized epoxy‐bridged polyorganosiloxanes precursors, with different terminated alkoxysilane groups, are thermally cured with or without the addition of curing catalysts. Organometallic dibutyltindilaurate, and alkaline tetrabutylammonium hydroxide have been used as curing catalysts to investigate the thermal curing behaviors and cured properties of epoxy‐bridged polyorganosiloxanes precursors. The maximum exothermal curing temperatures of epoxy‐bridged polyorganosiloxanes precursors are found to appear around the same region of 120°C in DSC analysis. The addition of catalysts to the epoxy/APTES precursor shows significant influence on the cured structure; however, the catalysts exhibit less influence on the cured structure of epoxy‐APMDS precursor and epoxy/APDES precursor. Curing catalysts also show significant enhancement in increasing the thermal decomposition temperature (T_d50s) of cured network of trifunctional epoxy‐bridged polyorganosiloxane (epoxy/APTES). High T_d50s of 518.8 and 613.6 in the cured hybrids of epoxy/APTES and epoxy/APMDS precursors are also observed, respectively. When trialkoxysilane‐terminated epoxy‐bridged polyorganosiloxanes precursor are cured, with or without the addition of catalyst, no obvious T_g transition can be found in the TMA analysis of cured network. The cured network of trialkoxysilane‐terminated epoxy‐bridged polyorganosiloxanes also exhibits the lowest coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) among the three kinds of alkoxysilane‐terminated epoxy‐bridged polyorganosiloxanes investigated. The organic–inorganic hybrid, from epoxy‐bridged polyorganosiloxanes after the thermal curing process, shows better thermal stability than the cured resin network of pure epoxy‐diaminopropane. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 3491–3499, 2006     

Synthesis and characterization of 4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl methane‐based benzoxazines and their polymers

A series of diamine‐based benzoxazine precursors have been prepared using 4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl methane, formaldehyde, and different phenol derivatives including phenol, p‐cresol, and 2‐naphthol. Their chemical structures were identified by FTIR, ¹H NMR, and elemental analysis. The curing reactions of those precursors were monitored by FTIR and DSC. The obtained materials exhibited higher glass transition temperature and char yields than the corresponding bisphenol‐A based polybenzoxazines. The polybenzoxazine prepared from phenol showed the highest char yields of 65% and thermal stability with 5 and 10% weight‐loss temperatures at 346 and 432°C, respectively. The polybenzoxazine prepared from 2‐naphthol exhibited the highest glass transition temperature at 244°C. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Synthesis and properties of a novel bio‐based benzoxazine resin with excellent low‐temperature curing ability

A novel bio‐based benzoxazine resin (diphenolic acid/furfurylamine benzoxazine resin, PDPA‐F‐Boz) was prepared by using bio‐based diphenolic acid, furfurylamine and paraformaldehyde as raw materials. The structure of DPA‐F‐Boz monomer was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR, and then its curing reaction and the thermal stability of the cured PDPA‐F‐Boz were analyzed. Compared with the traditional fossil‐based benzoxazine (bisphenol A/aniline benzoxazine, BPA‐A‐Boz) and the bio‐based benzoxazine (diphenolic acid/aniline benzoxazine, DPA‐A‐Boz), DPA‐F‐Boz monomer showed the lowest curing temperature, and PDPA‐F‐Boz had the highest residual char ratio at 800 °C and the lowest degradation rate at the peak temperature. Meanwhile, the total heat release, peak heat release rate and heat release capacity of PDPA‐F‐Boz were much lower than those of PBPA‐A‐Boz and PDPA‐A‐Boz. Thus, PDPA‐F‐Boz showed excellent low‐temperature curing ability and thermal stability. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

13C‐NMR study on cure‐accelerated phenol‐formaldehyde resins with carbonates

Both liquid‐ and solid‐state carbon‐13–nuclear magnetic resonance (¹³C‐NMR) spectroscopies were used to investigate the cure acceleration effects of three carbonates (propylene carbonate, sodium carbonate, and potassium carbonate) on liquid and cured phenol‐formaldehyde (PF) resins. The liquid‐phase ¹³C‐NMR spectra showed that the cure acceleration mechanism in the propylene carbonate‐added PF resin seemed to be involved in increasing reactivity of the phenol rings, whereas the addition of both sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate into PF resin apparently resulted in the presence of ortho–ortho methylene linkages. Proton spin‐lattice rotating frame relaxation time (T_1ρH) measured by solid‐state ¹³C cross polarization/magic‐angle spinning NMR spectroscopy was smaller for the cure‐accelerated PF resins than that of the control PF resin. The result indicated that the cure‐accelerated PF resins are less rigid than the control PF resin. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 1284–1293, 2000     

Synthesis and properties of novel 4,4′‐biphenylene‐bridged flame‐retardant cyanate ester resin

The bisphenol‐containing 4,4′‐biphenylene moiety was prepared by the reaction of 4,4′‐bis(methoxymethyl) biphenyl with phenol in the presence of p‐toluenesulfonic acid. The bisphenol was end‐capped with the cyanate moiety by reacting with cyanogen chloride and triethylamine in dichloromethane. Their structures were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ¹H‐NMR, and elemental analysis. Thermal behaviors of cured resin were studied by differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical analysis, and TGA. The flame retardancy of cured resin was evaluated by limiting oxygen index (LOI) and vertical burning test (UL‐94 test). Because of the incorporation of rigid 4,4′‐biphenylene moiety, the cyanate ester (CE) resin shows good thermal stability (T_g is 256°C, the 5% degradation temperature is 442°C, and char yield at 800°C is 64.4%). The LOI value of the CE resin is 42.5, and the UL‐94 rating reaches V‐0. Moreover, the CE resin shows excellent dielectric property (dielectric constant, 2.94 at 1 GHz and loss dissipation factor, 0.0037 at 1 GHz) and water resistance (1.08% immersed at boiling water for 100 h). © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Synthesis,characterization of new carboxylic acid‐containing benzoxazine and its cocuring behaviors with bisoxazoline

A new benzoxazine‐benzoic acid (BBA) was synthesized and the structure was conformed by ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR, FTIR, etc. The cure behavior of BBA and cocure behavior of BBA with phenylene bisoxazoline (1,3‐PBO) were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was found that BBA showed a single curing exothermic peak at about 217°C. However, all BBA/1,3‐PBO systems exhibited two exothermic peak. One may be attributed to the reaction between carboxyl groups of BBA and 1,3‐PBO. And the other was attributed to the ring‐opening polymerization of oxazine rings and the reaction between phenolic hydroxyl groups generated by the ring opening of benzoxazine ring and 1,3‐PBO. The curing temperature of benzoxazine containing carboxyl groups could be lowered by the copolymerization of 1,3‐PBO. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the incorporation of ester–amide groups had a significant effect on decreasing thermal stability and char yield of the cured resin. SEM results indicated that 1,3‐PBO could toughen BBA benzoxazine resin. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

13C‐NMR study on cure‐accelerated phenol–formaldehyde resins with carbonates

Both liquid‐ and solid‐state ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopies were employed to investigate the cure‐acceleration effects of three carbonates [propylene carbonate (PC), sodium carbonate (NC), and potassium carbonate (KC)] on liquid and cured phenol–formaldehyde (PF) resins. The liquid‐phase ¹³C‐NMR spectra showed that the cure‐acceleration mechanism in the PC‐added PF resin seemed to be involved in increasing reactivity of the phenol rings, while the addition of both NC and KC into PF resin apparently resulted in the presence of ortho–ortho methylene linkages. Proton spin‐lattice rotating frame relaxation time (T_1ρH) measured by solid‐state ¹³C‐CP/MAS‐NMR spectroscopy was smaller for the cure‐accelerated PF resins than for that of the control PF resin. The result indicated that cure‐accelerated PF resins are less rigid than the control PF resin. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 841–851, 2000     

Synthesis and characterization of carborane‐containing polyester with excellent thermal and ultrahigh char yield

A series of wholly carborane‐containing polyesters with high thermostability were successfully synthesized by the catalytic polycondensation of carborane diol monomers with carborane diacid chlorides. They can be used for the preparation of materials of high temperature resistant coatings and adhesive. The influence of solvent, reaction temperature, and reaction time on the molecular weight and yield of the polymers were studied. In comparison with the carborane‐free polyester, the carborane‐containing polyesters showed higher degradation temperature and char yield and lower degradation rate. The thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA) curves indicate that the carborane group could effectively reduce the degradation rate of carborane‐containing polyesters, which give a char yield of exceeding 64% under air (47% under N₂) at 700 °C. Such data are superior to the carborane‐free polyester, which showed a low char yield of around 0.3% under air (5% under N₂) at the same condition. Moreover, the thermal transition mechanism of carborane‐containing polyesters was also studied. The FTIR spectra and TG‐FTIR analysis indicate that the carborane cage could react with oxygen to form BOB and BC linkages at elevated temperatures, which postpones the thermal decomposition of polyester and accounts for the high char yield. The newly prepared kind of high temperature polyesters have enormous technical and economic value, especially in the high temperature fields. They can be widely used as raw materials to prepare the high temperature resistant coatings or adhesives for automotive engine, aircraft and other equipments worked in high‐temperature environments. Under high environmental temperature, the good thermal stability is capable of keeping polyesters stable and expanding their service lives. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 44202.     

Synthesis of a novel phosphorus‐containing dicyclopentadiene novolac hardener and its cured epoxy resin with improved thermal stability and flame retardancy

A novel phosphorus‐containing dicyclopentadiene novolac (DCPD‐DOPO) curing agent for epoxy resins, was prepared from 9,10‐dihydro‐oxa‐10‐phosphaphenanthrene‐10‐oxide (DOPO) and n‐butylated dicyclopentadiene phenolic resin (DCPD‐E). The chemical structure of the obtained DCPD‐DOPO was characterized with FTIR, ¹H NMR and ³¹P NMR, and its molecular weight was determined by gel permeation chromatography. The flame retardancy and thermal properties of diglycidyl ether bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy resin cured with DCPD‐DOPO or the mixture of DCPD‐DOPO and bisphenol A‐formaldehyde Novolac resin 720 (NPEH720) were studied by limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL 94 vertical test and cone calorimeter (CCT), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), respectively. It is found that the DCPD‐DOPO cured epoxy resin possess a LOI value of 31.6% and achieves the UL 94 V‐0 rating, while its glass transition temperature (T_g) is a bit lower (133 °C). The T_g of epoxy resin cured by the mixture of DCPD‐DOPO and NPEH720 increases to 137 °C or above, and the UL 94 V‐0 rating can still be maintained although the LOI decreases slightly. The CCT test results demonstrated that the peak heat release rate and total heat release of the epoxy resin cured by the mixture of DCPD‐DOPO and NPEH720 decrease significantly compared with the values of the epoxy resin cured by NPEH720. Moreover, the curing reaction kinetics of the epoxy resin cured by DCPD‐DOPO, NPEH720 or their mixture was studied by DSC. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44599.     

Development of a DOPO‐containing melamine epoxy hardeners and its thermal and flame‐retardant properties of cured products

In this study, a novel Schiff base of melamine used as flame‐retardant curing agent for epoxy resins, was synthesized via condensation reaction of 4‐hydroxybenzaldehyde with melamine, followed by the addition of 9,10‐dihydro‐9‐oxa‐10‐phosphaphen‐anthrene 10‐oxide (DOPO) to the resulting imine linkage. The structure of DOPO‐containing melamine Schiff base (P‐MSB) was characterized by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, ¹H‐nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H‐NMR) and ³¹P‐NMR. The compound (P‐MSB) was used as a reactive flame retardant in o‐cresol formaldehyde novolac epoxy resin (CNE) to prepare flame‐retardant epoxy resins for electronic application. The thermal and flame‐retardant properties of the epoxy resins cured by various equivalent ratios phenol formaldehyde novolac (PN) and P‐MSB were investigated by the nonisothermal differential scanning calorimetry, the thermogravimetric analysis, and limiting oxygen index test. The obtained results showed that the cured epoxy resins possessed high T_g (165°C) and good thermal stability (T_5%, 321°C). Moreover, the P‐MSB/CNE systems exhibited higher limiting oxygen index (35) and more char was maintained in P‐MSB/CNE systems than that in PN/CNE system and the effective synergism of phosphorus–nitrogen indicated their excellent flame retardancy. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Trehalose‐based thermosetting resins. I. Synthesis and thermal properties of trehalose vinylbenzyl ether

Trehalose vinylbenzyl ether was synthesized from trehalose and p‐chloromethylstyrene (CMS) in DMSO in the presence of powdered NaOH. The structure of the product was characterized by IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Degree of substitution (DS) on a trehalose unit calculated from the ¹H NMR spectrum varied from 2.4 to 3.2 by changing the feed ratio of p‐chloromethylstyrene to trehalose. Thermal properties of the resin were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). DSC analysis revealed that the resin DS 2.4 has one exothermal peak at 132°C, whereas the resins DS 2.8 and 3.0 have two exothermal peaks. Furthermore, the resin DS 3.2 was found to have only one exothermal peak at 191°C. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and thermomechanical analysis (TMA) revealed that the cured resin has one transition, implying a glass transition. Biodegradability was assayed by the BOD method, and several percent of the cured resin was found to be degraded with activated sludge for 50 days. Further degradation, however, was not observed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 46–51, 2004