Curing studies of bisphenol a based bismaleimide and cloisite 15a nanoclay blends using differential scanning calorimetry and model-free kinetics

Studies on structurally different diamines and bisphenol benzoxazines

The compounds resorcinolbisbenzoxazine, quinolbisbenzoxazine, p-phenylene diaminebisbenzoxazine, and m-phenylenediaminebisbenzoxazine are prepared. The structural and thermal characterizations of the materials are done using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) and 13C NMR, and differential scanning calorimetry. Both FTIR and NMR studies reveal the presence of oxazine rings in the synthesized monomers. The curing exotherm of these bisbenzoxazines is much influenced by the nature of the aromatic unit present in the chosen compound and also on the type of the benzoxazine unit in the system. Curing kinetics is performed using Flynn–Wall–Ozawa, Vyazovkin, and Friedman methods. The apparent activation energies ( Ea-C) for the thermal curing of the synthesized monomers varied and are dependent on the nature and the position of the functional groups present in the compound. The highest Ea-C values are noted for the compounds having the functionalizations being para oriented.

Studies on structurally different benzoxazines

Bisbenzoxazines were prepared by the condensation of the respective bisphenols bisphenol A (BA), indane bisphenol (IBP), and spirobiindane bisphenol (SBI) with paraformaldehyde and aniline. The apparent activation energies for the polymerization curing process ( Ea-C) and the degradation process ( Ea-D) were calculated using Flynn–Wall–Ozawa, Vyazovkin, and Friedman methods. The variation in Ea-C noted for the thermal curing of different bisbenzoxazines is attributed to the operation of different mechanisms for the curing process. The variation of the Ea-D for the degradation of spirobiindane benzoxazine polymerized at high temperature was different from the other materials investigated and is attributed to its complex structure. The volatile products obtained during the thermal degradation of the polymers were analyzed using thermogravimetric–Fourier transform infrared analyses. Aniline was found to be the major product and was released during the primary degradation. At higher temperatures, breakage of the isopropylidine, indane, and biindane structural entities were favored.