| Abstract: | In contrast to common curing reactions, the anhydride curing of epoxies follows a living anionic chain growth. The resulting consequences of this mechanism, i.e. (1) DPn = aMo]/Io], (2) first-order kinetics and (3) Poisson chain-length distribution were tested with the phenyl glycidyl ether/phthalic acid anhydride system, using l-methyl imidazole. Overall agreement was found and the observed deviations could be explained with a modified Poisson process. Conformational properties of the resins were measured by static and dynamic light scattering and by viscometry. These were compared with the quantities of a corresponding branched system prepared with a mixture of phenyl glycidyl ether and bisphenol-A diglycidyl ether. Typical deviations to smaller dimensions were observed at high molar masses as a result of increasing branching. |
