Effect of neutral nickel catalyst on cure process of silicon-containing polyarylacetylene

• The cure reactions of silicon-containing polyarylacetylene (PSA) were studied.
• The cure temperature of the PSA markedly decreases with addition of catalyst.
• The conversion ratio of terminal alkyne in the PSA is enhanced by adding catalyst.
• The conversion ratio of internal alkyne in the PSA increases in the early stage.
• The thermal stability of the catalyst cured PSA is retained.

The curing behavior of silicon-containing polyarylacetylene (PSA) with nickel acetylacetonate and triphenylphosphine (Ni(acac)2/PPh3) as a catalyst was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), FTIR in situ monitoring and gel time analysis. The thermal stability of the cured PSA was performed on thermogravimeter. The results show that the catalytic effect of Ni(acac)2/PPh3 on curing reaction of PSA is distinct. The peak temperature of cure reaction of PSA was decreased by 100 °C when the catalyst was added into the resin at a molar ratio of 100:1. The conversion ratio of the terminal alkynes in PSA cured with the catalyst is higher than that cured without catalyst during heating. The internal alkynes in PSA are apt to achieve when the catalyst is added in the early stage of curing process. The apparent activation energy of the gel process of PSA with the catalyst declined about 30%. The catalyst-added PSA was cured at lower temperature. The temperature at 5% mass loss and residual yield at 800 °C in N2 of the cured PSA with the catalyst-added and catalyst-free are 615 °C and 89%, 618 °C and 90%, respectively.

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