Claims
- 1. A composition comprising
- (A) an epoxy resin containing one or more rodlike mesogenic moieties represented by the following Formulas I or II or any combination of any two or more epoxy resins represented by either or both of Formulas I and/or II ##STR53## wherein at least about 80 percent of the --(Z.sup.1 -Z.sup.2).sub.n --Z.sup.1 -- linkages and the glycidyl ether groups are in the para position with respect to each other; each R and R.sup.1 is independently hydrogen or an aliphatic hydrocarbon group having from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms; each X is independently hydrogen, a hydrocarbyl or hydrocarbyloxy group having suitably from 1 to about 12 carbon atoms, a halogen atom, --NO.sub.2 or --C.dbd.N, each Z.sup.1 is independently --CR.sup.1 .dbd.N--, --N.dbd.CR.sup.1 --, --CR.sup.1 .dbd.CR.sup.1 --, --CR.sup.1 .dbd.CR.sup.1 --CR.sup.1 .dbd.CR.sup.1 --, --CR.sup.1 .dbd.N--N.dbd.CR.sup.1 --, --CR.sup.1 .dbd.CR.sup.1 --CO--O--CH.sub.2 --, --CR.sup.1 .dbd.CR.sup.1 --CO--O--CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --, --CH.sub.2 --O--CO--CR.sup.1 .dbd.CR.sup.1 --, --CR.sup.1 .dbd.CR.sup.1 --CO--O--CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --, --CR.sup.1 .dbd.CR.sup.1 --CO--O--, --O----CO--CR.sup.1 .dbd.CR.sup.1 --, --CO--NR.sup.1 --, --NR.sup.1 --CO--, --CO--NR.sup.1 --NR.sup.1 --CO--, --C.tbd.C--, --C.tbd.C--C.tbd.C--, --CR.sup.1 .dbd.CR.sup.1 --O--CO--CH.sub.2 --, --CH.sub.2 --CO--O--CR.sup.1 .dbd.CR.sup.1 --, --CR.sup.1 .dbd.CR.sup.1 --O--CO--CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --, --CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --CO--O--CR.sup.1 .dbd.CR.sup.1 --, --CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --CO--O--, --O--CO--CH.sub.2 --CH.sub.2 --, --CO--O--CR.sup.1 .dbd.CR.sup.1 --, --CR.sup.1 .dbd.CR.sup.1 --O--CO--, ##STR54## Z.sup.2 is a group represented by a cyclic or bicyclic ring system containing from 5 to about 12 carbon atoms and may be cycloaliphatic, polycycloaliphatic, aromatic or a combination thereof; n is 0 to 2; each Z' is independently a --CO--, --O--CO--, --CO--O--, --CO--NR.sup.1 --, or --NR.sup.1 --CO-- group and each n' independently has a value of zero or one;
- with the proviso that:
- (a) both of the R.sup.1 groups in the --CR.sup.1 .dbd.CR.sup.1 -- group cannot simultaneously be a hydrogen atom;
- (b) each Z.sup.1 can also independently be ##STR55## --CR.sup.1 .dbd.N--, --N.dbd.CR.sup.1 --, --CO--CR.sup.1 .dbd.CR.sup.1 -- or --CR.sup.1 .dbd.CR.sup.1 --CO-- when Z.sup.2 is not a benzene ring and n is not equal to zero;
- (c) R.sup.1 in the --CR.sup.1 .dbd.N-- and --N.dbd.CR.sup.1 -- groups is other than hydrogen;
- (d) when n=1, either one of Z.sup.1 can also be selected from the group consisting of --CH.dbd.CH--, --N.dbd.N--, --CO--S--, --S--CO--, --CH.dbd.N--, --N.dbd.CH--, --O--CO--, --CO--O-- and a direct single bond provided that the other Z.sup.1 group is not selected from this same group or is not selected from a group selected from the group consisting of ##STR56## when (i) each n' is zero, or (ii) when one n'=zero and one n'=1 with Z' being --O--CO-- or --CO--O-- and R.sup.1 is a group having only one carbon atom;
- (e) when n=2, one or two of the Z.sup.1 groups can also independently be selected from the group consisting of --CH.dbd.CH--, --N.dbd.N--, --CO--S--, --S--CO--, --CH.dbd.N--, --N.dbd.CH--, --O--CO--, --CO--O--, and a direct single bond, provided that the remaining Z.sup.1 groups are not selected from this group;
- (f) when one Z.sup.1 is ##STR57## wherein (i) when each n'=1 with each Z' being --O--CO-- or --CO--O--, or
- (ii) when one n'=1 with Z' being --O--CO-- or --CO--O-- and the other n'=zero resulting in the other Z' being a direct bond and R.sup.1 is a group having only one carbon atom, then n must have a value of 1 or 2 and R.sup.1 is a group having only one carbon atom; ##STR58## wherein Z.sup.3 is ##STR59## and Z.sup.4 is --CO--O--, --O--CO--, --NR.sup.1 --CO-- or --CO--NR.sup.1 --; X.sup.1 is a divalent hydrocarbyl group having from 1 to about 10, carbon atoms which can contain one or more heteroatoms selected from N, O or S and may be saturated or unsaturated; each R and R.sup.1 is independently hydrogen or an aliphatic hydrocarbon group having from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms; each X is independently hydrogen, a hydrocarbyl or hydrocarbyloxy group having from 1 to about 12 carbon atoms, a halogen atom, --NO.sub.2, or --C.tbd.N; and n' is zero or one; and with the proviso that Z.sup.4 is not --CO--O-- or --O--CO-- when R.sup.1 is a group having only one carbon atom; and
- (B) optionally, one or more polyepoxides which are substantially free of rodlike mesogenic moieties; and
- wherein said composition is optionally oriented by subjecting said composition to an electric field, magnetic field, drawing and/or shear flow.
- 2. An epoxy resin composition of claim 1 wherein, in component A, when X is a hydrocarbyl or hydrocarbyloxy group, it has from 1 to about 6 carbon atoms and when it is a halogen atom, it is chlorine or bromine, X.sup.1 is a divalent hydrocarbyl group having from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms, and component (B) is not present.
- 3. An epoxy resin composition of claim 1 wherein, in component A, when X is a hydrocarbyl or hydrocarbyloxy group, it has from 1 to about 4 carbon atoms and when it is a halogen atom, it is bromine, and component (B) is not present.
- 4. The diglycidyl ether of 4,4'-dihydroxybenzanilide.
- 5. The diglycidyl ether of 4,4'-dihydroxy-2,2'-dimethylazoxybenzene.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/252,811 filed Jun. 2, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,463,091 which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/099,812 filed Jul. 29, 1993 (now abandoned) which is a division of application Ser. No. 07/919,791 filed Jul. 27, 1992 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,270,405 issued Dec. 14, 1993) which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 07/616,539 filed Nov. 21, 1990 (now abandoned) which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 07/553,492 filed Jul. 13, 1990 (now abandoned) which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 07/298,431 filed Jan. 17, 1989 (now abandoned) all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
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C. Noel & P. Navard, Prog. Polym. Sci., 16, 55-110 (1991). |
C. Kober & R.A. Weiss, "Liquid Crystalline Polymers", R.A. Weiss and C.K. Ober eds., ACS Symp Series, Am.Chem.Soc., Washington D.C., 1-13 (1990). |
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Divisions (2)
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252811 |
Jun 1994 |
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919791 |
Jul 1992 |
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Continuation in Parts (4)
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99812 |
Jul 1993 |
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616539 |
Nov 1990 |
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553492 |
Jul 1990 |
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298431 |
Jan 1989 |
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