A study of co-curing of epoxy and cyanate resin

The influence of a transition metal acetylacetone catalyst on the behavior, mechanism and product structure of the co-curing of epoxy and cyanate was studied by DSC and FT-IR. The results reveal that the catalyst can accelerate the curing of the resins decreasing the curing temperature and time. The reactions involved in the co-curing are: cyclodimerization and cyclotrimerization of cyanates, polyetherfication of epoxy groups and cyclotrimerization of cyclic dimers, as well as the formation of oxazolidinone rings. In the lack of cyanate functional groups, the main structures of cured compounds are oxazolidinone and polyether structure in the cured resin, and the triazine ring structure is of minor importance In the excess of cyanate functional groups, the main structures are triazine ring and oxazolidinone structures in the cured resin, and the polyether structure is of minor importance.