Adhesive and thermal characteristics of maleimide-functional novolac resins

Abstract

A novel, addition-curable maleimide-functional novolac phenolic resin was evaluated for adhesive properties such as lap shear strength and T-peel strength using aluminium adherends, when thermally self-cured and cocured with epoxy resins. The adhesive properties of the self-cured resin, although inferior at ambient temperature, improved at high temperature and were found to depend on the cure conditions. When cocured with epoxy resin, the adhesive properties improved significantly and showed a strong dependence on the nature of the epoxy resin used, on the stoichiometry of the reactants, on the concentration of imide groups in the phenolic resin, and on the extent of polymerization of the maleimide groups. Optimum adhesive properties were obtained for novolac resins with a moderate concentration of maleimide groups, taken on a 1 : 1 hydroxyl–epoxy stoichiometry with a novolac epoxy resin. In comparison to the conventional novolac, the imide–novolac contributed to improved adhesion and better adhesive property retention at higher temperature when cured with the novolac–epoxy resin. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 73: 695–705, 1999