CURING REACTIONS OF A LIQUID-CRYSTALLINE EPOXY-RESIN BASED ON THE DIGLYCIDYL ETHER OF 4,4'-DIHYDROXY-ALPHA-METHYLSTILBENE

A glycidyl-terminated liq. cryst. (LC) monomer is cured with arom. amines. A nematic structure suddenly develops during the curing reaction and is related to the mol. wt. increase of the developing network. An unusual exothermal double peak is obsd. in the isothermal curves obtained in a defined temp. range. The calorimetric anal. is used to evaluate the kinetic parameters and is related to the initial formation of a linear prepolymer and to the subsequent development of the tridimensional network