Synthesis, dynamic mechanical properties, and shape memory effect of polybenzoxazines based on monofluorophenol isomers and polyetheramines

Preparation and properties of benzoxazine precursors containing siloxane units and their epoxy copolymers

Four siloxane benzoxazines containing different rigid segments were successfully synthesized and characterized herein, including a benzene ring, a biphenyl, a naphthalene ring, and a diphenyl sulfone group. Different rigid segments had different effects on polymer properties. The introduction of the naphthalene ring and sulfone group considerably reduced the curing temperature of benzoxazine. Although the benzoxazine with the naphthalene ring exhibited low heat resistance, all the four samples showed a high char yield at 800°C under nitrogen atmosphere. In addition, during copolymerization with AG-80 epoxy, the introduction of epoxy promoted the curing of the benzoxazines containing the naphthalene ring and sulfone group. The heat resistance of all copolymers was considerably improved, especially for the copolymer containing the naphthalene ring, whose 5% thermal weight loss temperature ( Td5) increased from 248°C to 321°C under nitrogen atmosphere. The copolymer containing the biphenyl structure had the highest glass transition temperature, reaching 259.1°C. Copolymerization with epoxy also considerably improved the tensile strength and elongation at break of the copolymers, which were much higher than those of traditional bisphenol A-aniline based benzoxazine (BA-a). Compared with the neat benzoxazine prepared using siloxane and bisphenol A, the developed copolymers also had better tensile properties, and the copolymer containing the sulfone group showed the greatest improvement (from 49 to 69 MPa, from 3.1% to 9.12%).

Study on properties of copolymers based on different types of benzoxazines and branched epoxy resins

Previous studies on linear epoxy (bisphenol A epoxy) resin/benzoxazine composites showed that with the addition of epoxy (EP) resin, the resulting copolymers exhibited an increased glass transition temperature ( Tg) ( Tg reached a maximum value at a specific content), improved flexural strength, lower heat resistance, and reduced tensile strength. Herein, branched EP resin (AG-80)/benzoxazine copolymers featuring novolac (N-box) and siloxane (Si-box) chains were prepared without any external curing agent. In both systems, the EP resin endowed the copolymers with an increased crosslinking density; however, Tg continued to increase with increasing EP content. In addition, the heat resistance of the copolymers gradually enhanced. Different types of benzoxazines have various effects on the properties of copolymers. In terms of mechanical properties, AG-80/N-box copolymers exhibited brittle fracture characteristics; with increasing EP content, the flexural strength of the copolymer decreased while the tensile strength increased. AG-80/Si-box copolymers exhibited ductile fracture characteristics, with gradual increases in flexural and tensile strengths. Furthermore, with increasing EP content, the molecular chain migration ability and network homogeneity of the AG-80/N-box copolymers decreased gradually. Alternatively, in the case of the AG-80/Si-box copolymers, the molecular chain migration ability remained unchanged and network homogeneity improved. Hence, the developed copolymers can be used as resin matrices for the fabrication of advanced composites.

Synthesis, ring-opening polymerization, and properties of benzoxazines based on o- and p-hydroxybenzyl alcohols

Two series of bifunctional benzoxazines were synthesized from o- and p-hydroxybenzyl alcohols ( oHBA and pHBA), three aliphatic diamines containing ether linkage (Jeffamines D230 and D400 and 4,7,10-trioxa-1,13-tridecanediamine (TTDDA)), and paraformaldehyde. The chemical structures of the benzoxazines were confirmed by 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The ring-opening polymerization of the benzoxazines was studied by differential scanning calorimetry and FTIR, respectively. oHBA-based benzoxazines respectively exhibit lower onset temperatures of ring-opening polymerization than pHBA-based counterparts due to the O–H∙∙∙O intramolecular hydrogen-bonding interaction between the hydrogen of ortho-methylol group and the oxygen in oxazine ring, and oHBA-based polybenzoxazines respectively show lower glass transition temperatures ( Tgs) than pHBA-based counterparts due to the difference in crosslinking density caused by the steric hindrance effect of the position of methylol group on the polymerization of benzoxazine monomers. In each of the two series of benzoxazines, the onset temperature of ring-opening polymerization of D230-based benzoxazine is close to that of TTDDA-based analogue and lower than that of D400-based counterpart owing to the steric effect of the chain length and chain volume of the bridging structure between the oxazine rings on the polymerization, and the Tg of D230-based polybenzoxazine is close to that of TTDDA-based analogue and much higher than that of D400-based counterpart owing to the difference in crosslinking density caused by the steric hindrance effect of the bridging structure on the polymerization of benzoxazine monomers. In addition, all the polybenzoxazines exhibit thermally induced shape memory effect. In each of the two series of polybenzoxazines, the shape recovery rate and ratio of D400-based polybenzoxazine are respectively close to those of D230-based counterpart and higher than those of TTDDA-based analogue due to the difference in network architecture.