Biscitraconimide (co)polymer and process for curing biscitraconimides with an anionic catalyst

• Main Authors: HOPE, PETER, TALMA, AUKE GERARDUS, VAN SWIETEN, ANDREAS PETRUS
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 24.01.1996
• Edition: 5
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F,C08G; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVINGCARBON-TO-CARBON UNSATURATED BONDS; MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED OTHERWISE THAN BY REACTIONSONLY INVOLVING UNSATURATED CARBON-TO-CARBON BONDS; METALLURGY; ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; WORKING-UP

A curable composition comprising at least one biscitraconimide unit having the formula: wherein D is a divalent group, R is CH2-R1, and R1 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and alkyl groups having 1 to 18 carbon atoms, characterized in that the composition comprises a sufficient amount of an anionic curing catalyst to convert at least 10% of the R groups on the biscitraconimide units into alkylene bridges in the cured composition, is disclosed. A process for curing the foregoing composition is disclosed as well. Also disclosed is a polymeric material obtained by the process of curing the foregoing composition as well as objects embodying this cured polymeric material. The polymeric material may also be cocured in the presence of one or more polymerizable materials. The polymeric material obtained exhibits significantly improved tensile strength and flexural strength over typical bismaleimide polymers which makes it useful for preparing fiber-reinforced materials.