Kinetics of the thermally induced precursor curing to polymer via statistical analysis of TEM images

Thermally induced curing of the precursor to the cross-linked polymer was studied with transmission electron microscopy. The cured polymer was observed to have micro-domain morphology. Analysis of the microscopic images resulted in the statistical size distributions of micro-domains described subsequently using principles of irreversible thermodynamics. The statistical distribution parameters were determined to change with the curing temperature. A correlation of micro-structural and macroscopic parameters (the mean size of micro-domains and the dynamic Young's modulus), both varying during the precursor curing, was found and explained in terms of the kinetic concept of fracture. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.