Novel epoxy-anhydride thermosets modified with a hyperbranched polyester as toughness enhancer. I. Kinetics study

A hyperbranched polyester (Boltorn (TM) H30) has been modified in order to partially replace the terminal hydroxyl groups with aliphatic vinyl chains. This novel hyperbranched polymer (HBP) has been used as a modifier of epoxy-anhydride thermosets with the purpose of enhancing the fracture toughness. The curing kinetics of the neat and the modified formulations have been studied in detail with DSC and MR. Model-free and model-fitting kinetic methods have been applied to DSC data to determine the kinetic parameters. The curing mechanism has been elucidated with FTIR. Incorporation of the HBP into the thermoset matrix is assured by the reaction of remaining hydroxyl groups. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.