MODEL INVESTIGATIONS ON THE TOPOLOGY OF THE CURING REACTION OF ORDERED EPOXY NETWORKS

4-Phenyl-4-(2,3-expoxypropyl)benzoate (I) can be cured to thermoset networks with a different degree of order by using isomeric antinophenyl aminobenzoates II to V as curing agents. The formation of intermediates during the curing reaction was studied by means of model compounds. From the reaction of the monoamino-substituted phenylbenzoates VI to IX the reactivities for the primary and the secondary aminoprotons towards epoxide was determined. The kinetic data were used for a stepwise simulation of the curing reaction. Arguments were found that in case of diamines with 4-aminobenzoate structure well ordered intermediates are formed, which crosslink in an early stage of the reaction.