The cationic polymerization of epoxy resins becomes more and more important in adhesive bonding technology. Most often a cationic photopolymerization is applied, but occasionally thermally induced cationic polymerization of epoxides is also used. The polymerization is strongly influenced by water, namely the humidity of the surrounding atmosphere in which the adhesives are cured. Traces of water or other proton donors are required as co-catalyst for the initiation of the polymerization. On the other side the cation as well as the anion of the latent initiators is hydrolyzed by the long term influence of moisture. But water does not only influence the initiation reaction of the polymerization but also the chain growth reaction. Depending on the kind of epoxide the polymerisation is strongly accelerated by the water or strongly retarded. These extreme differences are explained by differences in the mechanism of the chain transfer reaction carried out by the water. In any case the water reduces the mechanical strength of the cured epoxides by the formation of unbound chain-ends in the polymer network and therefore lower cross-link density. Also alcohols lead to chain transfer reactions during polymerization of the epoxides and consequently they have an influence on the polymerization kinetics as well as on the mechanical properties of the epoxides Different polymeric and oligomeric alcohols (polyols) are applied to adjust the mechanical properties of cationically curing adhesives. It could for example be shown that the addition of polytetrahydrofuran leads to polymers with rubber elastic behaviour. But also the polymerization kinetics is strongly influenced by polyols. In the case of polyethers based on 1,2-diols the protons required to progress the polymerization can be fixed within five-membered rings. The polymerization rate is decelerated in the presence of such polyols, therefore. The formed structures have some similarity with crownethers complexing a proton. And it is therefore not surprising that crown-ethers inhibit the cationic polymerisation very efficiently. On the other hand no retardation of the reaction rate is observed if 1,4-diol based polyethers are used to modify the properties of the materials. 205 208 Scheme 14.1 Synthesis of (9-oxo-9H-fluoren-2-yl)phenyliodonium hexafluoroantimonate.