The effect of the curing agent content on the curing and liquid-crystalline phase of liquid-crystalline epoxy resin

Abstract

The effect of the curing agent content on the curing behavior and liquid-crystalline (LC) phase of the liquid-crystalline epoxy (LCE) resin 4,4'-di(2,3-epoxypropyloxy)phenyl benzoate was studied. Diaminodiphenylester (DDE) was used as a curing agent. The curing behavior was observed via differential scanning calorimetry, and the LC phase was investigated with a polarized optical microscopy. The LC phase in the LCE/DDE mixture with a high DDE content was developed during curing. The onset time was inversely proportional to the DDE content. The mesophase stability of LCE/DDE was enhanced by the addition of large amounts of DDE. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.