Blends of thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer and O‐cresol formaldehyde epoxy resin. II. Curing kinetics

Curing kinetics of O-cresol formaldehyde epoxy resin and its blends with a liquid crystalline block copolymer (PDBH) cured with linear phenol–formaldehyde resin were studied by the nonisothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and isothermal DSC methods. The parameters of nonisothemal curing kinetics were obtained according to the Kissinger method, and those of isothermal curing kinetics were deduced on the basis of the n-order mechanism proposed by Kamal. The curing reaction is considered 1-order reaction as shown by the nonisothermal and isothermal results. The model gave a good description of curing kinetics up to the onset of vitrification. A diffusion factor has been introduced in the latter stage of reaction to describe the degree of conversion over the whole range. The obtained n-order model modified by diffusion-controlled factor is consistent with the experimental data almost over the whole range of conversion. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 1269–1276, 2006