Phthalonitrile cure reaction with aromatic diamines

✍ Scribed by Satya B. Sastri; Teddy M. Keller

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 152 KB
• Volume: 36
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0887-624X
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-0518(199808)36:11<1885::aid-pola23>3.0.co;2-9

✦ Synopsis

Phthalonitrile monomers can be polymerized thermally in the presence of small amounts of curing agents into thermosetting polymers. The thermosets exhibit outstanding thermo-oxidative stability, display good mechanical properties, and offer promise as matrices for composite applications. The phthalonitrile cure reaction is typically accomplished with an aromatic diamine, 1,3-bis(3-aminophenoxy)benzene (m-APB), added in the range of 1.5-2% by weight of the monomer in the melt phase. This article addresses the cure reaction with a sulfone-containing diamine, bis[4-(4aminophenoxy)phenyl] sulfone ( p-BAPS), which shows lower volatility as determined from thermogravimetric studies (TGA) compared to m-APB at the processing temperatures typically employed for phthalonitrile cures. Rheometric studies conducted to monitor the viscosity increase during a cure reaction suggest that the cure reaction with m-APB is faster compared to the reaction with p-BAPS. Even though differences are seen in the initial cure rates, the final cured products are similar in terms of the glass transition temperatures and thermal and oxidative stabilities.