Trimerization of Monocyanate Ester in Nanopores

The effects of nanoconfinement on the reaction kinetics and properties of a monocyanate ester and the resulting cyanurate trimer are studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). On the basis of both dynamic heating scans and isothermal reaction studies, the reaction rate is found to increase with decreasing nanopore size without a change in reaction mechanism. Both the monocyanate ester reactant and cyanurate product show reduced glass transition temperatures (T_gs) as compared to the bulk; the T_g depression increases with conversion and is more pronounced for the fully reacted product, suggesting that molecular stiffness influences the magnitude of nanoconfinement effects. Our results are consistent with the accelerated reaction and the T_g depression found previously for the nanoconfined difunctional cyanate ester, supporting the supposition that intracyclization is not the origin of these effects.