Can liquid crystalline polymers find application in the field of protective coatings?

Glycidyl terminated rigid-rod monomers can be cured in a liquid crystalline state. The resulting thermoset offers high potential as protective coating thanks to its outstanding properties. In particular a superior fracture toughness and a reduced internal stress are two typical parameters offered by this new class of compounds. Transport properties are not strongly affected by the state of order of the cross-linked resin, in the sense that gas permeabilities are of the same order of magnitude of conventional epoxy resins. Glycidyl terminated rigid-rod monomers can be cured in a liquid crystalline state. The resulting thermoset offers high potential as protective coating thanks to its outstanding properties. In particular a superior fracture toughness and a reduced internal stress are two typical parameters offered by this new class of compound. Transport properties are not strongly affected by the state of order of the cross-linked resin, in the sense that gas permeabilities are of the same order of magnitude of conventional epoxy resins.