Curing of some epoxy-acrylate glycidyl ethers based on para-alkyl substituted phenols

Curing of epoxy-acrylate glycidyl ethers based on phenol and para-alkyl [-CH3, -C(CH3)(3), -C9H19] substituted phenols in the presence of benzoyl peroxide was examined by differential scanning calorimetry at different heating rates. The tested monomers polymerize first as acrylic monomers and the reaction continues by the curing process only in the case of the epoxy-acrylate glycidyl ethers of para-alkyl substituted phenols, when insoluble polymers were obtained. The kinetic parameters of the curing reaction were determined using different calculation methods (Barrett, Freeman-Carrol, Kissinger). The activation energy varies in the range 64-86 kJ/mol and the order of the curing reaction is similar or equal to 1 with slight variations. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Limited.