ABSTRACT Through a controlled esterification strategy, a novel itaconic acid‐based epoxy resin (EIA) with a well‐defined structure, high purity, and excellent curing reactivity was successfully synthesized and characterized. For the first time, this study systematically elucidates the effects of aromatic ring content, amine curing agent basicity, and curing agent type on the long‐term mechanical stability and chemical resistance of EIA. Among the curing systems investigated, the methyl hexahydrophthalic anhydride‐cured epoxy resin showed the best degradation resistance. In amine‐cured networks, the highly basic curing agent D230 accelerated network degradation by promoting ester bond hydrolysis. In contrast, the cured sample under 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane and 650 showed superior long‐term performance by introducing substantial steric hindrance, which reduced ester bond cleavage. In addition, a higher aromatic ring content enhanced degradation resistance through π – π stacking interactions, which effectively shielded the ester linkages. The sample under polyamide 650 exhibits excellent performance because of its weak alkalinity and steric hindrance. This work provides useful insights into the design of EIA‐based materials for recyclable and degradation‐resistant applications.
Li et al. (Sat,) studied this question.