| Abstract: | The modification of an unsaturated polyester resin by incorporating a second co-reactive monomer as a thermosetting bismaleimide is described The bismaleimide was readily dissolved in the uncured polyester matrix up to a concentration of about 20% wt. FTIR isothermal measurements indicated that the kinetics and the mechanism of the curing process were strongly affected by the presence of the bismaleimide. The resulting inter-crosslinked network showed a gradual enhancement of the elastic modulus in a wide range of temperatures by increasing the bimaleimide amount in the system. This enhancement was obtained without altering the intrinsic toughness of the matrix. |
