Modification of epoxy-novolac resins with polysiloxane containing nitrile functional groups: synthesis and characterization

Synthesis of the statistical epoxidized polycyanopropylmethylsiloxane-co-polydimethylsiloxanes (PCPMS-co-PDMS) has been demonstrated. The modified polysiloxanes were prepared via a two-step method; (1) the ring-opening polymerization of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D₄) and tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D₄H), (2) hydrosilylation reaction of the polysiloxane prepolymers with allyl cyanide and allyl glycidyl ether. Molar ratios of D₄H and D₄ were varied to produce the modified polysiloxanes with differences in polarity. ¹H-NMR, ²⁹Si-NMR, ¹³C-NMR and FTIR were used to monitor the formation of the modified polysiloxanes and DSC was used to study their thermal behaviors (T_g, −118 to −68 °C). The use of the modified polysiloxanes as an elastomeric component in epoxy-novolac networks was also investigated. TEM and their transition temperatures suggested that the epoxy-novolac networks with high content of PDMS modifiers exhibited microphase separation. The fracture toughness properties of the networks with the polysiloxane modifiers were improved over the controls without polysiloxanes.