New metal-containing epoxy polymers from diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A and tetradentate Schiff base metal complexes

New epoxy polymers containing copper, cobalt and nickel ions have been prepared by curing diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) with the Schiff base complexes of these metal ions. The Schiff base ligand was prepared from 2,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde and 1,3-diaminopropane. Characterization of the metal complexes were carried out using infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Tetrabutylammonium hydroxide was the most suitable catalyst for curing reaction. The introduction of metal ions, especially the copper ion, into the polymer matrices gave polymers with good thermal stability and mechanical properties, such as tensile strength. The copper-containing epoxy polymer obtained at a mole ratio of copper complex : DGEBA = 1 : 12 showed a 2.1% weight loss, after heating at 250°C for 48 h and had a tensile strength of 69 N/mm2, which is comparable to the epoxy-anhydride system.