Monitoring the reaction progress of a high‐performance phenylethynyl‐terminated poly(etherimide). Part I: Cure kinetics modeling

Abstract

AbstractThe cure kinetics of a phenylethynyl‐terminated poly(etherimide) are examined via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements. Isothermal holds at temperatures ranging from 325°C to 360°C provided the necessary information to develop reaction kinetics models using both first‐order reaction kinetics and combination reaction kinetics. The first‐order reaction kinetics model works well for quick estimates of degree of cure versus time over the experimental temperature range. However, significantly more accurate predictions of degree of cure versus time were provided by the combination reaction kinetics model. The lack of accuracy in the first order model is due to the fact that the reaction cannot be described by a simple order. The experimental procedures followed to obtain the cure kinetics data and the construction of the models from this data are described; the predictions of these models are compared with the experimental results.