REACTION OF DICYANATES WITH MONOPHENOLS - MODELING OF NETWORK BUILDUP

Chemical as well as structural modifications of highly branched polycyanurates can be achieved by using the reaction of dicyanates with monofunctional phenols. The key products of this reaction are iminocarbonic esters formed by addition of cyanato and phenolic groups. Two mechanisms are discussed for the second reaction step: an addition of two cyanato groups and an iminocarbonic ester (Route A) and a stepwise addition of iminocarbonic esters (Route B). The crucial difference between the two reactions is the number of abstracted phenolic groups per formation of one triazine ring: one for Route A and three for Route B. The effects of these reaction mechanisms on the gelation behavior and network buildup are studied theoretically with the help of cascade theory as well as experimentally by the reaction of dicyanate of bisphenol A with five different monophenols. The results clearly show that only with a model which is based on Route B can both the critical conversions at the gelation threshold and the gel fractions be modeled quantitatively. Furthermore, phenols with low pK(a) values were found to have an increased tendency of incorporation into the network.