High Char Flexible Polymers

TDA Research is proposing to chemically modify the polymer backbone of polymers known to have char yields upwards of 70% at 800+ ⁰C (under inert gas) in order to make the polymers flexible, and possibly elastomeric at or near room temperature. Flexibility is a result of easy rotation around the bonds within a polymer backbone, maintained only in the presence of low crosslink density. Conversely, a high char yield requires very robust bonding, generally with high crosslink density, since floppy, easily broken bonds lead to the evolution of gas, reducing the residual mass. Our modifications will reduce the char yield, but, in this case, even a 10% loss in char yield would still be comparable to the char yield of the inflexible phenolic resins currently in use.