Design and Synthesis of Thermally Curable Polymers with Benzoxazine Functionalities

AbstractIn this paper, synthetic strategies for the preparation of structurally different polymers, namely polystyrene (PSt), poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL), poly(propyleneoxide) (PPO), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and poly(styrene‐alt‐ maleimide) (PSt‐alt‐MI) with thermally curable benzoxazine groups have been outlined. Specifically, these groups were incorporated into PSt and PCL by using two controlled polymerization methods, namely Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP) and Ring Opening Polymerization (ROP), respectively. Modification of linear and branched poly(propylene amine)s via Mannich reaction yields the corresponding benzoxazine functional PPOs. The photoinitiated polymerization of olefinic monomers such as methyl methacrylate by using benzoxazines as hydrogen donor in conjunction with aromatic carbonyl compounds is another suitable method for the desired functionalization. Moreover, benzoxazine substituted maleimide was copolymerized with styrene to yield perfectly alternating benzoxazine functional copolymers (PSt‐alt‐MI).