Mechanical properties and morphology of epoxy/poly(vinyl acetate)/poly(4-vinyl phenol) brominated system

Diglycidyl ether of bisfenol-A (DGEBA)/poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc)/poly(4-vinyl phenol) brominated (PVPhBr) ternary blends cured with 4,4’-diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM) were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Homogeneous (DGEBA+DDM)/PVPhBr networks with a unique T _g are generated. Ternary blends (DGEBA+DDM)/PVAc/PVPhBr are initially miscible and phase separate upon curing arising two T _gs that correspond to a PVAc-rich phase and to epoxy network phase. Increasing the PVPhBr content the T _gof the PVAc phase move to higher temperatures as a consequence of the PVAc-PVPhBr interactions. Different morphologies are generated as a function of the blend composition.     

Epoxy resin/poly(ϵ‐caprolactone) blends cured with 2,2‐bis[4‐(4‐aminophenoxy)phenyl]propane. I. Miscibility and crystallization kinetics

Crystalline thermosetting blends composed of 2,2′‐bis[4‐(4‐aminophenoxy)phenyl]propane (BAPP)‐cured epoxy resin (ER) and poly(?‐caprolactone) (PCL) were prepared via the in situ curing reaction of epoxy monomers in the presence of PCL, which started from initially homogeneous mixtures of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), BAPP, and PCL. The miscibility of the blends after and before the curing reaction was established with differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic mechanical analysis. Single and composition‐dependent glass‐transition temperatures (T_g's) were observed in the entire blend composition after and before the crosslinking reaction. The experimental T_g's were in good agreement with the prediction by the Fox and Gordon–Taylor equations. The curing reaction caused a considerable increase in the overall crystallization rate and dramatically influenced the mechanism of nucleation and the growth of the PCL crystals. The equilibrium melting point depression was observed for the blends. An analysis of the kinetic data according to the Hoffman–Lauritzen crystallization kinetic theory showed that with an increasing amorphous content, the surface energy of the extremity surfaces increased dramatically for DGEBA/PCL blends but decreased for ER/PCL blends. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 1085–1098, 2003     

Carbonyldiimidazole‐accelerated efficient cure of epoxidized soybean oil with dicyandiamide

This study investigates the curing of epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) using dicyandiamide (DICY) and combinations of DICY with several accelerators as curing agents. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results indicated that carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) is a highly efficient accelerator for the ESO‐DICY curing system. CDI accelerated ESO‐DICY curing system can gel within a short period of 13 min at 190 °C. The activation energies of the ESO‐DICY curing systems with and without CDI are 95 and 121 kJ mol^?1, respectively. Similar acceleration effect was observed in the ESO‐diglycidyl ether of biphenyl A (DGEBA) blending formulations. When the molar part of the glycidyl epoxy groups of DGEBA was equal to the internal epoxy groups of ESO in the mixture, gelation of the DICY curing system accelerated by CDI was achieved in 3 min at 160 °C. Furthermore, the DSC results with FTIR analysis suggest that the stoichiometric curing molar ratio was 3 ESO epoxy units per 1 DICY molecule. Two epoxy units reacted with DICY to give secondary alcohols, while the other one linked to the nitrile group. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 375–382     

Synthesis, photoluminescent and electrochromic properties of new aromatic poly(amine-hydrazide)s and poly(amine-1,3,4-oxadiazole)s derived from 4,4′-dicarboxy-4″-methyltriphenylamine

A series of new poly(amine-hydrazide)s I were prepared from the dicarboxylic acid 4,4′-dicarboxy-4″-methyltriphenylamine with terephthalic dihydrazide (TPH) and isophthalic dihydrazide (IPH), respectively, via the Yamazaki phosphorylation reaction. Polymers I were readily soluble in many common organic solvents, and could be solution cast into transparent, tough, and flexible films with good mechanical properties. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated that the hydrazide polymers had T_g’s in the range of 222-223 °C and could be thermally cyclodehydrated into the corresponding oxadiazole polymers in the range of 300-400 °C. The resulting poly(amine-1,3,4-oxadiazole)s II exhibited T_g’s in the range of 269-283 °C, 10% weight-loss temperatures in excess of 511 °C, and char yield at 800 °C in nitrogen higher than 63%. These poly(amine-hydrazide)s I exhibited strong UV-Vis absorption bands at 351-355 nm in NMP solution. Their photoluminescence spectra in NMP solution and film showed maximum bands around 459-461 nm in the blue region for I series. The hole-transporting and electrochromic properties are examined by electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical methods. Cyclic voltammograms of the poly(amine-hydrazide)s I prepared by casting polymer solution onto an indium-tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass substrate exhibited one reversible oxidation redox couples at 1.32-1.33 V vs. Ag/AgCl in acetonitrile solution. All obtained poly(amine-hydrazide)s I revealed excellent stability of electrochromic characteristics, changing color from original pale yellowish to blue.     

Photophysical properties of PPP and PPV derivatives bearing polystyrene or polycaprolactone as side groups

This contribution reports on detailed photophysical investigations of poly(p-phenylene) PPP and poly(p-phenylene-vinylene) (PPV) derivatives laterally decorated with polystyrene (PPV-PSt) or poly(ε-caprolactone) (PPP-PCL, PPP-altPCL, PPV-PCL and PPV-PCL-Br). The polymers emit blue and exhibit very high relative and absolute photoluminescence quantum yield, Φ_f, in dilute solution, thin film (spin-coated and inkjet-printed) and bulk state. This is ascribed to the presence of the lateral macromolecules, which suppress the strong π-π interactions and consequently excimers formation. Lower Φ_f value was obtained for the bromine containing polymer and its corresponding model compound dibromodistyrylbenzene Br₂-DSB, which was ascribed to heavy atom effect enabling intersystem crossing from S₁ to T₁. However, studies at 77 K did not reveal phosphorescence, in contrast an enhancement of the fluorescence intensity with respect to room temperature measurement was observed.     

Colorless poly(ether-imide)s deriving from 2,2-bis[4-(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy)phenyl]propane dianhydride(BPADA) and aromatic bis(ether amine)s bearing pendent trifluoromethyl groups

A series of poly(ether-imide)s (III) characterized by colorless, highly solubility was synthesized from 2,2-bis[4-(3,4-dicarboxyphenoxy)phenyl]propane dianhydride(BPADA) and various fluorinated aromatic diamines (I_a-h) in DMAc via polycondensation to form poly(amic acid) (II), followed by chemical (C) and thermal (H) imidization. These polymers had inherent viscosities ranging from 0.60 to 1.3 dL/g. These polyimides were highly soluble in a variety of organic solvent such as amide-type, ether-type and chlorinated solvents. Moreover, these poly(ether-imide) films were almost colorless, with an ultraviolet-visible absorption cutoff wavelength below 390 nm and low b* value (a yellowness index) of 4.6-18.0. The III series showed strength tensile of 72-101 MPa, elongation at break of 11-25%, initial modulus of 1.5-2.0 GPa. The glass transition temperature (T_g) of III_a-h were in the range of 202-267 °C, and the decomposition temperature above 493 °C and left 40-65% char yield at 800 °C in nitrogen. They had the lower dielectric constants of 3.39-3.72 (1 MHz) and moisture absorptions in the range of 0.11-0.40%.     

Preparation and thermal properties of diglycidylether sulfone epoxy

A diglycidylether sulfone monomer (sulfone type epoxy monomer, SEP) was prepared from bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) sulfone (SDOL) and epichlorohydrin without any NaOH or KOH as basic catalyst. FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR and mass spectroscopic instruments were utilized to determine the structure of the SEP monomer. The cured SEP epoxy material exhibited not only a higher T_g (163.81 °C) but also a higher T_g than pristine DGEBA (from 111.25 °C to 139.17 °C) when the SEP monomer moiety had been introduced into the DGEBA system. The thermal stability of cured epoxy herein was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results demonstrated that the sulfone group of the cured SEP material decomposed at lower temperatures and formed thermally stable sulfate compounds, improving char yield and enhancing resistance against thermal oxidation. Additionally, the IPDT and char yield of the cured SEP epoxy (IPDT = 1455.75, char yield = 39.67%) exceeded those of conventional DGEBA epoxy (IPDT = 667.27, char yield = 16.25%).     

A new class of aromatic poly(ether-ketone benzoxazole) copolymers by nucleophilic polycondensation: Synthesis and properties

A number of difluorophenyl benzoxazole (DB) monomers and 4,4′-difluorobenzophenone (DFB) were subjected to fluoro-displacement with two different phenoxides in a polar aprotic solvent. A series of novel poly(ether-ketone benzoxazole) copolymers (PAEKBOs) were more readily prepared, in which the generation of aryl-ether linkages was the copolymer forming reaction. The effects of monomer structure and polymerization conditions on the polymerization results and polymer solubility were analyzed. Copolymers 1, 2-X, 4 and 6 were obtained with high molecular weight. Copolymers 2-X and 4 showed organic solubility, especially the copolymers 2-X could dissolve in many usual organic solvents at the solid concentration of up to 20 wt%. TGA and DSC measurements confirmed that the copolymers 2-X, 4 and 6 were thermally stable up to 500 °C, and showed single enhanced T_gs and an amorphous morphology. The copolymers behaved in many respects as engineering thermoplastics. The properties and the processability of several members of the PAEKBOs offer the prospect of being candidates to substitute poly(ether-ether-ketone) (PEEK) using in a wider usage temperature range and being high performance materials for many applications as films, coatings for optical and electronic devices and gas separation membranes.     

Pyrolysis and fire behaviour of epoxy systems containing a novel 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide-(DOPO)-based diamino hardener

Highly soluble 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide-(DOPO)-based diamino hardener (2), bearing its amino groups directly on the DOPO framework, is investigated with respect to its use as a reactive flame retardant in thermosets. A mechanism for decomposition of the corresponding phosphorus-modified epoxy resin system based on a diglycidylether of bisphenol A DGEBA and 2 (DGEBA/2) is proposed and compared to the systems using DGEBA and 4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfon (DGEBA/DDS) and to a similar system based on the structurally comparable non-reactive DOPO-based compound (DGEBA/DDS/1). Additive 1 changed the decomposition characteristics of the epoxy resin only slightly and phosphorus was released. Incorporating 2 induces two-step decomposition and most of the phosphorus remains in the residue. Furthermore, the fire behaviour of neat epoxy resin systems and a representative carbon fibre-reinforced composite based on DGEBA, DDS and 2 (DGEBA/DDS/2) were examined and compared to that of the analogous composite systems based on DGEBA/DDS and DGEBA/DDS/1. Based on different flame retardancy mechanisms both the reactive compound 2 and the additive compound 1 improve flammability (increase in LOI >13% and achieving V-1 behaviour) of the epoxy resin and composites. Under forced flaming only the flame inhibition of the additive compound 1 acts sufficiently. Lastly, the superior key mechanical properties of the epoxy resin and composite based on 2 are sketched.     

Synthesis and characterization of new soluble and thermally stable aromatic poly(amide-imide)s based on N-[3,5-bis(N-trimellitoyl)phenyl]phthalimide

A new dicarboxylic acid, N-[3,5-bis(N-trimellitoyl)phenyl]phthalimide (1a), bearing three preformed imide rings was synthesized from the condensation of N-(3,5-diaminophenyl)phthalimide and trimellitic anhydride in glacial acetic acid at 1:2 molar ratio. For study of structure-properties relationship 1,3-bis(N-trimellitoyl)benzene (1b, as a reference) was also synthesized in a similar manner. 1a and 1b were characterized by spectroscopic methods and elemental analyses.A series of wholly aromatic poly(amide-imide)s with inherent viscosities of 0.63-1.09 dl g⁻¹ was prepared by triphenyl phosphite-activated polycondensation from the triimide-dicarboxylic acid 1a and the reference monomer 1b with various aromatic diamines. All of the polymers were fully characterized by FT-IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The effects of the phthalimide pendent group on the polymers properties such as solubility, crystallinity, and thermal stability were investigated by comparison of the polymers. The polymers obtained from triimide-dicarboxylic acid 1a exhibited excellent solubility in a variety of solvents such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N,N-dimethylacetamide, N,N-dimethylformamide, and dimethylsulfoxide. These poly(amide-imide)s possessed glass-transition temperatures from 334 to 403 °C and exhibited excellent thermal stabilities and had 10% weight losses from 541 to 568 °C under a nitrogen atmosphere. Poly(amide-imide)s containing phthalimide pendent groups showed higher solubility, higher T_g and T_d10% values than those having no phthalimide pendent groups.     

Kinetics and thermal properties of epoxy resins based on bisphenol fluorene structure

The fluorene-containing epoxy, diglycidyl ether of 9,9-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl) fluorene (DGEBF) was synthesized by a two-step reaction procedure. In order to investigate the relationship between fluorene structure and material properties, DGEBF and a commonly used diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) were cured with 4,4-diaminodiphenyl methane (DDM) and 4,4-(9-fluorenylidene)-dianiline (FDA). The curing kinetics, thermal properties and decomposition kinetics of these four systems (DGEBA/DDM, DGEBF/DDM, DGEBA/FDA, and DGEBF/FDA) were studied in detail. The curing reactivity of fluorene epoxy resins was lower, but the thermal stability was higher than bisphenol A resins. The onset decomposition temperature of cured epoxy resins was not significantly affected by fluorene structure, but the char yield and T_g value were increased with that of fluorene content. Our results indicated that the addition of fluorene structure to epoxy resin is an effective method to improve the thermal properties of resins, but excess fluorene ring in the chain backbone can depress the curing efficiency of the resin.     

Synthesis of three novel phosphorus-containing flame retardants and their application in epoxy resins

One symmetric diamine (4) and two symmetric phenols (5) and (6) were synthesized as phosphorus-containing flame retardants. The synthesis comprised a two-step procedure: the condensation of p-phenylenediamine with benzaldehyde, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde and 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde respectively, followed by the addition of 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide to the imine linkage. The structures of (4)-(6) were characterized by FTIR, NMR and mass spectra. (4)-(6) served as co-curing agents of diaminodiphenylmethane for epoxy resins, and epoxy thermosets exhibited excellent flame retardancy, moderate changes in glass transition temperature (T_g) and thermal stability. When the phosphorus content reached 1.0 wt.%, the epoxy resin system met the UL-94 V-0 classification and the limiting oxygen index (LOI) reached more than 35.6, probably because of the nitrogen-phosphorus synergistic effect.     

Reaction-induced phase separation in a semiinterpenetrating network of reactive ternary blends

Morphology and reaction mechanisms were probed on a model reactive ternary blend system of polycarbonate (PC), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and diglycidylether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) epoxy by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Molecular interactions/reactions between the components in the blends after heating treatments are discussed. It was found that reactions took place among the components and that an interpenetrating network was built. The possible reaction mechanisms and the resulting structures after the heating treatments were probed. In the blends, PC and DGEBA reacted to form a network, while PMMA remained free. The semiinterpenetration, however, did not result in a network interlocked into a homogeneous state. The single T_g of the heated ternary DGEBA/PC/PMMA blends actually did not reflect a homogeneous interpenetrating network. Due to relatively small PMMA domains, the ternary blend network exhibited a single T_g. Upon etching the PMMA domains from the blend by acetone, a clearly interpenetrating network of reacted PC and epoxy was exposed and confirmed. The reactions leading to such a morphology are discussed with experimental evidence. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of N-cycloalkyl-7-oxanorbornene dicarboximides by well-defined ruthenium initiators

Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of exo-N-(1-adamantyl)-7-oxanorbornene-5,6-dicarboximide (AdONDI) (3a), exo-N-cyclohexyl-7-oxanorbornene-5,6-dicarboximide (ChONDI) (3b) and exo-N-phenyl-7-oxanorbornene-5,6-dicarboximide (PhONDI) (3c) using well-defined alkylidene ruthenium catalysts (PCy₃)₂(CI)₂RuCHPh (I) and (1,3-dimesityl-4,5-dihydroimidazol-2-ylidene) (PCy₃)CI₂RuCHPh (II) was studied. The catalysts I and II gave polymers with around 70% and 50% trans vinylene content, respectively. The homopolymer of 3a had a T_g of 198 °C, while poly-3b showed a T_g of 122 °C. Copolymers of 3a, 3b and 3c with norbornene (NB) showed significant T_g increases over poly-NB.     

Synthesis and nonlinear optical properties of novel Y-type polyimides with enhanced thermal stability of dipole alignment

2,3-Bis-(3,4-dicarboxyphenylcarboxyethoxy)-4′-nitrostilbene dianhydride (4) was prepared and reacted with 1,4-phenylenediamine, 4,4′-oxydianiline, 4,4′-diaminobenzanilide and 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)dianiline to yield novel polyimides 5-8 containing 2,3-dioxynitrostilbenyl groups as NLO-chromophores, which constituted parts of the polymer backbones. The resulting polyimides 5-8 were soluble in polar solvents such as acetone and DMF. Polymers 5-8 showed a thermal stability up to 300 °C in TGA thermograms with T_g values obtained from DSC thermograms in the range of 135-160 °C. The SHG coefficients (d₃₃) of poled polymer films at the 1064 cm⁻¹ fundamental wavelength were around 5.26 × 10⁻⁹ esu. The dipole alignment exhibited exceptionally high thermal stability even at 30 °C higher than T_g and there was no SHG decay below 170-190 °C due to the partial main chain character of polymer structure, which was acceptable for NLO device applications.     

Synthesis and curing studies of PPG based telechelic urethane methacrylic macromonomers

A New class of telechelic urethane methacrylic (TUMA) macromonomers were synthesized by a two-step condensation of 1, 6-hexamethylenediisocyanate (HMDI) with polypropylene glycol (PPG) of various molecular weights and capped with hydroxyl ethyl methacrylate (HEMA). A model compound based on diethylene glycol (DEG)—M-1 was synthesized as a low molecular weight analogue. Another model compound—M-2 was also synthesized by direct coupling of two equivalents of HEMA with HMDI. The structure of the telechelic urethanes were confirmed by ¹H, ¹³C NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. Photopolymerization of these telechelic systems was investigated using 2,2-diethoxy acetophenone as the photoinitiator at 5 wt.%. Trihydroxymethylpropane trimethacrylate (30 parts), PPG diacrylates (25 parts), ethylhexyl acrylate (20 parts) were mixed with the various telechelic urethane methacrylates (25 parts) for curing studies. The kinetics of the curing was monitored by following the disappearance of the methacrylic double bonds at 1628 cm⁻¹ using IR spectroscopy. TUMAPPG-425 had the fastest cure rate among the telechelic urethane methacrylates. This could be accounted for by hydrogen bonding pre-association in these systems. The thermal properties of the cured films were studied using TGA measurements. The cured films of the neat resin had a lower 50 wt.% loss temperature compared with that of the same resin in the formulation.     

Soluble and thermally stable polyamides bearing 1,1′-thiobis(2-naphthoxy) groups

A new-type of sulfide containing diacid (1,1′-thiobis(2-naphthoxy acetic acid)) was synthesized from 2-naphthol in three steps. Reaction of 2-naphthol with sulfur dichloride afforded 1,1′-thiobis(2-naphthol) (TBN). 1,1′-Thiobis(2-naphthoxy acetic ester) (TBNAE) was successfully synthesized by refluxing the TBN with methylcholoroacetate in the presence of potassium carbonate. The related diacid was synthesized by basic solution reduction of TBNAE. The obtained diacid was fully characterized and used to prepare novel thermally stable poly(sulfide ether amide)s via polyphosphorylation reaction with different aromatic diamines. The properties of these new polyamides were investigated and compared with similar polyamides. These polyamides showed inherent viscosities in the range of 0.39-0.87 dL g⁻¹ in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) at 30 °C and at a concentration of 0.5 g dL⁻¹. All the polyamides were readily soluble in a variety of polar solvents such as DMAc and tetrahydrofuran (THF). These polyamides showed glass transition temperature (T_g) between 241-268 °C. Thermogravimetric analysis measurement revealed the decomposition temperature at 10% weight loss (T₁₀) ranging from 441- 479 °C in argon atmosphere.     

The influence of sulfonation degree on the thermal behaviour of sulfonated poly(arylene ethersulfone)s

Initial decomposition temperature (T_i), apparent activation energy of degradation (E_a) and glass transition temperature (T_g) of some low molar mass (M_n ≈ 8000 g mol⁻¹) sulfonated poly(arylene ethersulfone)s s-(PAES)s were determined to check their dependence on sulfonation degree (SD). The results obtained were compared with those for unsulfonated poly(arylene ethersulfone) PAES. In order to have an accurate control of the chemical structure, a pre-sulfonation route was followed for the preparation of sulfonated compounds. The thermal behaviour of the investigated s-(PAES)s as well as that of PAES appears not to be influenced by the environment (flowing nitrogen or static air atmosphere) of degradation. Both T_i and T_g values of s-(PAES)s were higher than those of PAES and increased quite linearly as a function of sulfonation degree. An analogous linear trend was observed for the apparent degradation energy of s-(PAES)s, but the values found were largely lower than those of unsulfonated homopolymer. The results are discussed and interpreted.     

Flame‐retardant epoxy resins with high glass‐transition temperatures. II. Using a novel hexafunctional curing agent: 9,10‐dihydro‐9‐oxa‐10‐phosphaphenanthrene 10‐yl‐tris(4‐aminophenyl) methane

We synthesized a novel phosphorus‐containing triamine [9,10‐dihydro‐9‐oxa‐10‐phosphaphenanthrene 10‐yl‐tris(4‐aminophenyl) methane (dopo‐ta)] from the nucleophilic addition of 9,10‐dihydro‐9‐oxa‐10‐phosphaphenanthrene 10‐oxide and pararosaniline chloride, using triethylamine as an acid receiver. We confirmed the structure of dopo‐ta by IR, mass, and NMR spectra and elemental analysis. dopo‐ta served as a curing agent for diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and dicyclopentadiene epoxy (hp7200). Properties such as the glass‐transition temperature (T_g), thermal decomposition temperature, flame retardancy, moisture absorption, and dielectric properties of the cured epoxy resins were evaluated. The T_g's of cured DGEBA/dopo‐ta and hp7200/dopo‐ta were 171 and 190 °C, respectively. This high T_g phenomenon is rarely seen in the literature after the introduction of a flame‐retardant element. The flame retardancy increased with the phosphorus content, and a UL‐94 V‐0 grade was achieved with a phosphorus content of 1.80 wt % for DGEBA/dopo‐ta/diamino diphenylmethane (DDM) systems and 1.46 wt % for hp7200/dopo‐ta/DDM systems. The dielectric constants for DGEBA/dopo‐ta and hp7200/dopo‐ta were 2.91 and 2.82, respectively, implying that the dopo‐ta curing systems exhibited low dielectric properties. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 5971–5986, 2005     

Synthesis and properties of phosphorus-containing bio-based epoxy resin from itaconic acid

A phosphorus-containing bio-based epoxy resin (EADI) was synthesized from itaconic acid (IA) and 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene 10-oxide (DOPO). As a matrix, its cured epoxy network with methyl hexahydrophthalic anhydride (MHHPA) as the curing agent showed comparable glass-transition temperature and mechanical properties to diglycidyl ether in a bisphenol A (DGEBA) system as well as good flame retardancy with UL94 V-0 grade during a vertical burning test. As a reactive flame retardant, its flame-resistant effect on DGEBA/MHHPA system as well as its influence on the curing behavior and the thermal and mechanical properties of the modified epoxy resin were investigated. Results showed that after the introduction of EADI, not only were the flame retardancy determined by vertical burning test, LOI measurement, and thermogravimetric analysis significantly improved, but also the curing reactivity, glass transition temperature (T _g), initial degradation temperature for 5% weight loss (T _d(5%)), and flexural modulus of the cured system improved as well. EADI has great potential to be used as a green flame retardant in epoxy resin systems.