Structure and Properties of Epoxy Resins Containing Polycyclic Aromatic Unit

Abstract

High performance epoxy resin is required by advancement of functional material field. As a measure for this purpose, incorporation of polycyclic aromatic unit having 2 to 4 rings into the epoxy resin structure was investigated. The rigid and hydrophobic structure have improved heat resistance, moisture resistance and low thermal expansion, as well as improved flame retardancy due to their high thermal decomposition stability. It was also confirmed that introducing rigid rod-like skeleton such as 4,4’-biphenylene group into the main chain is effective for increasing T_g and fracture toughness.Incorporation of polycyclic aromatic unit into resin structure is considered to be one of the leading methods for improving properties of epoxy resins.