New trends in vinyl ester resins

Vinyl ester resins (VERs) are high-performance unsaturated resins derived by the addition reaction of various epoxide resins with alpha-beta unsaturated carboxylic acids. These resins have always been classified under unsaturated polyester resins. However, VERs have remarkable corrosion resistance and superior physical properties as compared with these conventional polyester resins, which make VERs a class of their own and hallmark of today's resin industries. Hence, there is a need to review the available literature on this important class of thermosetting resins separately. In this article, an attempt is made to review the state of the art of VERs, including synthesis, characterization, curing, thermal, chemical, oxidative properties, and applications. The main focus is on the latest developments in this area.