US 7,550,522 B2
Composition of liquid thermoset resin and gelator
George Green, Cambridge (United Kingdom); John Cawse, Cambridge (United Kingdom); Tanya Batchford, Cambridge (United Kingdom); and Philip Hadley, Cambridge (United Kingdom)
Assigned to Hexcel Composites Ltd, Duxford (United Kingdom)
Appl. No. 10/544,980
PCT Filed Feb. 13, 2004, PCT No. PCT/GB2004/000605
§ 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Aug. 01, 2006,
PCT Pub. No. WO2004/072145, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 26, 2004.
Claims priority of application No. 0303257.0 (GB), filed on Feb. 13, 2003.
Prior Publication US 2007/0142600 A1, Jun. 21, 2007
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. C08K 5/06 (2006.01); C08L 39/00 (2006.01); C08L 61/10 (2006.01); C08L 63/00 (2006.01); C08L 63/02 (2006.01); C08L 63/10 (2006.01); C08L 67/02 (2006.01); C08L 75/04 (2006.01); C08L 87/00 (2006.01); B32B 27/04 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 523—456  [428/297.4; 524/375; 524/378; 524/548; 524/589; 524/590; 524/594; 524/601; 524/606; 525/423] 9 Claims
 
1. A resin composition comprising:
i) one or more liquid thermoset resin components wherein at least one of said liquid thermoset resin components comprises a polymerisable thermoset resin selected from the group consisting of epoxy resins, bismaleimide resins, vinyl ester resins, unsaturated polyester resins, isocyanate resins, phenolic resins and cyanate ester resins; and
ii) at least one gelator comprising an alkyl diether or triether of a phenol wherein the alkyl moiety of the alkyl diether or triether of said phenol is within the range of hexyl to octadecyl;
wherein said gelator interacts within said liquid thermoset resin components to form a gel composition at ambient temperatures, said gel composition being thermally reversible such that the gel composition can undergo a reversible transition from a gelled state to a state of lower viscosity when the gel composition is heated.