The degradation of new thermally degradable thermosets obtained by cationic curing of mixtures of DGEBA and 6,6-dimethyl (4,8-dioxaspiro[2.5]octane-5,7-dione)

The thermal degradation of thermosetting materials prepared by cationic copolymerization of mixtures of different proportions of diglycidylether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) with 6,6-dimethyl (4,8-dioxaspiro[2.5]octane-5,7-dione) (MCP) initiated by ytterbium or lanthanum triflate or using a conventional initiator, BF₃·MEA was investigated. To study the thermal degradation, several techniques were used such as thermogravimetry (TGA), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and calorimetry (DSC) and the volatiles evolved during degradation were identified by mass spectrometry. The materials prepared possess the characteristics of thermally degradable thermosets, due to the presence of ester groups in the polymer chain, which are broken at the beginning of degradation. The degradability increased when lanthanide triflates were used in the curing, especially the ytterbium salt and when the proportion of MCP in the material increased.