Synthesis and curing behavior of a novel liquid crystalline epoxy resin

This article described the synthesis and mesomorphic behavior transition of a novel liquid crystalline (LC) epoxy resin 4-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)biphenyl,4″-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)phenyl-4′carboxylate (EBEPC), which combined a hydroxyl benzoic aromatic ester and biphenol rigid-rod group. EBEPC showed a clear nematic schlieren texture under curtain conditions. The reaction kinetics of EBEPC cured by 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl-methane (DDM) was studied by using an isoconversional method under isothermal conditions with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The isothermal DSC data can be fitted reasonably by an autocatalytic curing model. Smectic phases had been observed in the EBEPC/DDM curing system. The results of DSC showed that the formation of the LC phase had pronounced influence on the curing reaction.