Acidolysis polymerization has been used to prepare phenol-derived polymers such as liquid crystalline (LC) polymers, and is catalyzed by mildly-alkaline salts. The catalytic effects of hydrotalcites (HTs), which are natural alkalescent minerals with controllable basicity, are investigated on the acidolysis copolymerization of coumarates such as p -coumaric acid and caffeic acid. As a result, the LC copolymer prepared in the presence of HT with a Mg/Al ratio of 3 shows higher molecular weight values than copolymers prepared in the presence of any other alkalescent salts. On the other hand, the copolymers prepared in the presence of HTs show a clear LC state where the polymer chains are oriented on the surface of the glass fi bers. The resin, which is oriented by glass fi ber fi llers aligning along its longitudinal axis and is annealed at 300 ° C for 20 min, shows a softening temperature of 305 ° C while keeping a high mechanical strength of 85 MPa and a high mechanical modulus over 1 GPa.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.