Examining the effect of hydroxyl groups on the thermal properties of polybenzoxazines: using molecular design and Monte Carlo simulation

The influence of methylol and phenolic hydroxyl on the thermal properties of polybenzoxazines has been studied using two monofunctional benzoxazine monomers synthesized from para methylol-/ethyl-phenol, aniline and paraformaldehyde. The chemical structures of the synthesized monomers are confirmed by H-1 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), C-13 NMR and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Polymerizations are monitored by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The glass transition temperature (T-g) of each polybenzoxazine is measured by DSC as well as dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), indicating the greatly increased T-g via incorporation of methylol functionality into benzoxazine moiety. Monte Carlo simulations are also applied to further investigate the underlying structure-property relationship between intermolecular hydrogen-bonding network originating from different types of hydroxyl groups and thermal properties of polybenzoxazines. The agreement between the experimental and simulation results provide us with a fundamental understanding of the designing roles in highly thermally stable polybenzoxazines.