In this paper, electronic-grade epoxidized Cardol (E-Cardol),
a
bifunctional reactive diluent for epoxy resin, was synthesized from
Cardol and epichlorohydrin by a two-step reaction. FT-IR, NMR, and
high-performance liquid chromatography have been used for structural
characterization and reaction dynamic studies. A stepwise dichlorination
process considering all sources of chloride has been proposed: (i)
minimizing the etherification side reaction while accelerating the
main reaction, (ii) driving the main etherification reaction forward
in the closed-loop reaction, and (iii) applying a refining step based
on the Williamson reaction. E-Cardol with a hydrolyzable chlorine
content below 100 ppm and decreased viscosity (30%) was obtained.
Copper corrosion experiments confirmed the enhanced anticorrosion
properties of the electronic-grade E-Cardol coating. This constitutes
the first report of an electronic-grade Cardol-based bifunctional
reactive diluent. Our work may give a guide to the design of all of
the electronic-grade bio-based reactive diluents and other epoxy resins.