Cure of epoxy-amine blends with nematic liquid crystals accompanied by phase separation

The kinetics of polymerization of diglycydil ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) i nitiated by dimethylbenzylamine and DGEBA polycondensation with 4,4'-di(ami nocyclohexyl)methane in the presence of nematic liquid crystals (LC) was st udied by isothermal calorimetry. Tt is shown that the presence of nematics decelerates these reactions. An explanation of this phenomenon is proposed. The temperature of the nematic-isotropic phase transition was measured as a function of the reaction conversion. The morphology of heterophase polyme rs obtained with different nematic LC concentrations and crosslinking densi ties of polymer matrix was studied with;the aid of optical and electron mic roscopy.