Design and Effects of the Cinnamic Acids Chemical Structures as Organocatalyst on the Polymerization of Benzoxazines

IGUCHI, DANIELA; FROIMOWICZ, PABLO; ERRA-BALSELLS, ROSA; RODRÍGUEZ, ROCÍO B.; SALUM, M. LAURA

Polymers

MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute

Año: 2020 vol. 12 p. 1 - 11

This study focuses on the catalytic effect of the two geometric isomers of a cinnamic acidderivative, E and Z-forms of 3-methoxycinnamic acid (3OMeCA), analyzing the influence of theirchemical structures. E and Z-3OMeCA isomers show very good catalytic effect in the polymerization ofbenzoxazines, decreasing by 40 and 55 ◦C, respectively, the polymerization temperatures, for catalystcontents of up to 10% w/w. Isothermal polymerizations show that polymerizations are easilyrealized and analyzed at temperatures as low as 130 ◦C and at much shorter times using Z-3OMeCAinstead of E-3OMeCA. Thus, both cinnamic acids are good catalysts, with Z-3OMeCA being better.The molecular reasons for this difference and mechanistic implications in benzoxazine polymerizations are also presented.