Formaldehyde-Free Polybenzoxazines for High Performance Thermosets

We report the synthesis and ring-opening polymerization of new formaldehyde-free benzoxazines. The polybenzoxazines obtained displayed high thermal stability and high char yields. Data from the literature combined with our analyses by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analyses gave deeper understanding about the use of aromatic aldehydes instead of formaldehyde for the generation of polybenzoxazines. Using pyrolysis coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) at different temperatures, we provided qualitative data to propose some polymerization and degradation mechanisms associated with these new structures. A dialdehyde was also used for the first time in order to obtain difunctional monomers, instead of using diamines or bisphenols. Interestingly, we demonstrated that formaldehyde, which is a CMR (carcinogenic, mutagenic, and/or reprotoxic) substance, could be avoided for the synthesis of polybenzoxazines without any loss of thermal performance. Finally, some interesting structure-properties relationships are herein discussed. In particular, the use of benzyl amines, rather than aromatic amines, was found to significantly increase the char yields.