The roles played by anionic and cationic species in the curing process of aromatic nitrile resins

Abstract

Understanding the curing mechanism of aromatic nitrile (AN) resins is crucial for improving their curing efficiency. Blending the Bronsted acid-containing aromatic nitrile monomers (ACN) and Bronsted base-containing aromatic nitrile monomers (BCN) is a novel approach that simultaneously lowers the melting point and rapid curing reaction temperature of AN resins. To investigate the impact of anionic and cationic species on the curing behavior of ACN-BCN blends, a series of ACN-BCN blends were designed and synthesized. DSC and TGA results demonstrated a significant improvement in the curing efficiency when ACN and BCN blended, the curing temperature decreased by more than 50 ℃, accompanied by a decrease in melting point. According to the DMA results, the Tg of the cured substance of the system can reach 405 ℃ at the curing temperature of 325 ℃. The curing behaviors of ACN-BCN blends were studied through thermal analysis and spectroscopic analysis, which indicates that cationic species can polarize the cyano rather than attack the cyano groups, promoting their curing reaction. Moreover, it was determined that while cationic species play a polarizing role on the cyano, active anionic species attack the cyano, serving as the rate-determining step in the curing process of ACN-BCN blends.