Curing study of dicyclopentadiene resin and effect of elastomer on its polymer network

Curing of DCPD thermosetting resin has been followed by liquid state and solid state n.m.r. techniques. The liquid state n.m.r. spectra show the peaks corresponding to polybutadiene elastomers and residual DCPD monomers during the curing process. Solid state C-13 CP/MAS and C-13 HPDEC n.m.r. techniques have also been applied for characterization of polymer matrix during curing for carbon atoms in rigid phase and in mobile phase, respectively. S.e.c. measurements on DCPD resin before and after cure are also carried out to give supplementary information, besides n.m.r. measurements, to investigate the role of polybutadiene in the poly-DCPD network. It is concluded that polybutadiene elastomers could participate in the poly-DCPD network structure in the form of pendant chains or fixed segments in between crosslinking points. A scheme of the final polymer matrix structure is proposed at the end of study. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.