CROSS-LINKABLE NETWORK FROM FUNCTIONALIZED POLYETHERIMIDE AND THERMOSET POLYMER RESULTING THEREFROM

1 . A curable epoxy composition, comprising:

an epoxy resin composition comprising one or more epoxy resins, each independently having at least two epoxy groups per molecule;

an epoxy resin curing agent;

optionally a curing catalyst; and

a functionalized polyetherimide prepared from a substituted or unsubstituted C 4-40 bisanhydride, a substituted or unsubstituted C 1-40 organic diamine, and optionally an organic compound, wherein the functionalized polyetherimide is present in an amount from 5 to 75 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the epoxy resin composition,

wherein the functionalized polyetherimide comprises a reactive end group of the formula (C 1-40 hydrocarbylene)-NH 2 , (C 1-40 hydrocarbylene)-OH, (C 1-40 hydrocarbylene)-SH, (C 4-40 hydrocarbylene)-G, or a combination thereof,

wherein G is an anhydride group, a carboxylic acid, a carboxylic ester, or a combination thereof,

wherein the functionalized polyetherimide has a total reactive end group concentration of 50 to 1,500 microequivalents per gram, as determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy,

wherein the polyetherimide composition has 0.05 to 1,000 ppm by weight, based on the total weight of the polyetherimide composition, as determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography,

wherein the functionalized polyetherimide is obtained by precipitation from a solution using an organic anti-solvent, or by devolatilization, and

wherein the organic compound comprises at least two functional groups per molecule, wherein a first functional group is reactive with an anhydride group, an amine group, or a combination thereof, and the first functional group is different from a second functional group.

2 . The curable epoxy composition of claim 1 , wherein the epoxy resin composition comprises a compound of the formula

wherein

A is an inorganic group or a C 1-60 hydrocarbyl group of valence n, X is oxygen or nitrogen, m is 1 or 2 and consistent with the valence of X, R is hydrogen or methyl, and n is 1 to 100.

3 . The curable epoxy composition of claim 1 , wherein the epoxy resin curing agent is a diamine compound.

4 . The curable epoxy composition of claim 1 , wherein the functionalized polyetherimide comprises one or more of:

a weight average molecular weight of 5,000 to 45,000 grams per mole, as determined by gel permeation chromatography using polystyrene standards;

a maximum absolute particle size of 1 to 1,000 micrometers, as determined by pore size of a sieve used to isolate the functionalized polyetherimide;

an average degree of reactive end group functionality of greater than 0.75, wherein average degree of reactive end group functionality is defined as the average number of reactive end groups per polyetherimide chain;

a glass transition temperature of 155° C. to 280° C., as determined by differential scanning calorimetry per ASTM D341;

an amide-acid concentration of 0.5 to 5000 microequivalents per gram, functionalized polyetherimide, as determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy;

greater than 0.05 ppm by weight, as determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy;

0.05 to 1,000 ppm by weight, based on the total weight of the polyetherimide composition, as determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography; and

a polydispersity of less than 4.5, as determined by gel permeation chromatography using polystyrene standards.

5 . The curable epoxy composition of claim 1 , wherein the functionalized polyetherimide powder comprises units of the formula

wherein

each R is the same or different and is independently a substituted or unsubstituted divalent C 1-40 organic group, preferably a substituted or unsubstituted divalent C 6-20 aromatic hydrocarbon group, a substituted or unsubstituted C 4-20 alkylene group, or a substituted or unsubstituted C 3-8 cycloalkylene group; and

T is —O— or a group of the formula —O—Z—O— wherein Z is an aromatic C 6-24 monocyclic or polycyclic moiety optionally substituted with 1 to 6 C 1-8 alkyl groups, 1 to 8 halogen atoms, or a combination thereof, provided that the valence of Z is not exceeded.

6 . The curable epoxy composition of claim 5 , wherein

each R is independently a divalent group of the formula

wherein

Q 1 is —O—, —S—, —C(O)—, —SO 2 —, —SO—, —P(R′)(═O)— wherein R′ is a C 1-8 alkyl or C 6-12 aryl, —C y H 2y — and a halogenated derivative thereof wherein y is an integer from 1 to 5, or —(C 6 H 10 ) z — wherein z is an integer from 1 to 4; and

Z is a group of the formula

wherein

IV and R b are each independently a halogen atom or a monovalent C 1-6 alkyl group,

p and q are each independently integers of 0 to 4,

c is 0 to 4, and

X a is a single bond, —O—, —S—, —S(O)—, —SO 2 —, —C(O)—, —P(R a )(═O)— wherein It' is a C 1-8 alkyl or C 6-12 aryl, or a C 1-18 organic bridging group.

7 . The curable epoxy composition of claim 1 , wherein the polyetherimide comprises units of the formula

wherein

each R is the same or different and is independently a substituted or unsubstituted divalent C 1-40 organic group, and

Z is an aromatic C 6-24 monocyclic or polycyclic moiety optionally substituted with 1 to 6 C 1-8 alkyl groups, 1 to 8 halogen atoms, or a combination thereof, provided that the valence of Z is not exceeded.

8 . The curable epoxy composition of claim 1 , wherein the organic compound is of the formula

R c -L n -Q 2 -L n -R d

wherein

R c and R d are the different, and are each independently —OH, —NH 2 , —SH, or an anhydride group or a carboxylic acid, or a carboxylic ester,

each L is the same or different, and are each independently a substituted or unsubstituted C 1-10 alkylene or a substituted or unsubstituted C 6-20 arylene,

Q 2 is —O—, —S—, —S(O)—, —SO 2 —, —C(O)—, or a C 1-40 organic bridging group, and

each n is independently 0 or 1.

9 . The curable epoxy composition of claim 1 , wherein a viscosity of the curable epoxy composition is less than or equal to 2,000 Pa·s, preferably less than or equal to 1,000 Pa·s, as measured at 100° C. according to ASTM D4440-1.

10 . The curable epoxy composition of claim 1 , further comprising a particulate filler, a fibrous filler, an antioxidant, a heat stabilizer, a light stabilizer, a ultraviolet light stabilizer, a ultraviolet light-absorbing compound, a near infrared light-absorbing compound, an infrared light-absorbing compound, a plasticizer, a lubricant, a release agent, a antistatic agent, storage stabilizer, ozone inhibitors, optical stabilizer, thickener, conductivity-impacting agent, radiation interceptor, nucleating agent, an anti-fog agent; an antimicrobial agent, a metal inactivating agent, a colorant, a surface effect additive, a radiation stabilizer, a flame retardant, an anti-drip agent, a fragrance, an adhesion promoter, a flow enhancer, a coating additive, a polymer different from the one or more epoxy resins, or a combination thereof.

11 . The curable epoxy composition of claim 1 , further comprising polyarylate, polyamide, polyimide, polyetherimide, poly(amide imide), poly(aryl ether), phenoxy resins, poly(aryl sulfone), poly(ether sulfone), poly(phenylene sulfone), poly(ether ketone), poly(ether ether ketone), poly(ether ketone ketone), poly(aryl ketone), poly(phenylene ether), polycarbonate, carboxyl-terminated butadiene-acrylonitrile rubber (CTBN), amine-terminated butadiene-acrylonitrile rubber (ATBN), epoxy-terminated butadiene-acrylonitrile rubber (ETBN), core-shell rubber, or a combination thereof.

12 . A method for the manufacture of the curable epoxy composition of claim 1 , the method comprising:

combining the epoxy resin composition and the functionalized polyetherimide at a temperature of 70 to 200° C. to provide a reaction mixture; and

adding the epoxy resin curing agent and optionally the curing catalyst to the reaction mixture to provide the curable epoxy composition.

13 . An epoxy thermoset comprising a cured product of the curable epoxy composition of claim 1 .

14 . The epoxy thermoset of claim 13 , which after curing has at least one of:

a glass transition temperature of 50 to 300 ° C., as determined by differential scanning calorimetry per ASTM D3418; or

a fracture toughness of greater than or equal to 150 Joules per square meter, as measured according to ASTM D5045; or

a solvent resistance to methylene chloride, tetrachloroethane, dichlorobenzene, chloroform, dichloroethane, methyl ethyl ketone, acetone, methyl isobutyl ketone, methyl isopropyl ketone, ethyl acetate, N-methyl pyrrolidone, dimethylacetamide, dimethylformamide, dimethylsulfoxide, hydraulic fluid, jet fuel, gasoline, an alcohol, or a combination thereof.

15 . An article comprising the epoxy thermoset of claim 13 .

16 . The article of claim 15 , wherein the article is in the form of a composite, an adhesive, a film, a layer, a coating, an encapsulant, a sealant, a component, a prepreg, a casing, or a combination thereof.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the functionalized polyetherimide powder comprises units of the formula

wherein

each R is the same or different and is independently a substituted or unsubstituted divalent C 1-40 organic group, preferably a substituted or unsubstituted divalent C 6-20 aromatic hydrocarbon group, a substituted or unsubstituted C 4-20 alkylene group, or a substituted or unsubstituted C 3-8 cycloalkylene group; and

T is —O— or a group of the formula —O—Z—O— wherein Z is an aromatic C 6-24 monocyclic or polycyclic moiety optionally substituted with 1 to 6 C 1-8 alkyl groups, 1 to 8 halogen atoms, or a combination thereof, provided that the valence of Z is not exceeded.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein each R is independently a divalent group of the formula

wherein

Q 1 is —O—, —S—, —C(O)—, —SO 2 —, —SO—, —P(R′)(═O)— wherein R′ is a C 1-8 alkyl or C 6-12 aryl, —C y H 2y — and a halogenated derivative thereof wherein y is an integer from 1 to 5, or —(C 6 H 10 ) z — wherein z is an integer from 1 to 4; and

Z is a group of the formula

wherein

R a and R b are each independently a halogen atom or a monovalent C 1-6 alkyl group,

p and q are each independently integers of 0 to 4,

c is 0 to 4, and

X a is a single bond, —O—, —S—, —S(O)—, —SO 2 —, —C(O)—, —P(R a )(═O)— wherein Ra is a C 1-8 alkyl or C 6-12 aryl, or a C 1-18 organic bridging group.

19 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the polyetherimide comprises units of the formula

wherein

each R is the same or different and is independently a substituted or unsubstituted divalent C 1-40 organic group, and

Z is an aromatic C 6-24 monocyclic or polycyclic moiety optionally substituted with 1 to 6 C 1-8 alkyl groups, 1 to 8 halogen atoms, or a combination thereof, provided that the valence of Z is not exceeded.

20 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the organic compound is of the formula

R c -L n -Q 2 -L n -R d

wherein

R c and R d are the different, and are each independently —OH, —NH 2 , —SH, or an anhydride group or a carboxylic acid, or a carboxylic ester,

each L is the same or different, and are each independently a substituted or unsubstituted C 1-10 alkylene or a substituted or unsubstituted C 6-20 arylene,

Q 2 is —O—, —S—, —S(O)—, —SO 2 —, —C(O)—, or a C 1-40 organic bridging group, and

each n is independently 0 or 1.