A Study on the Triazole Crosslinked Polymeric Binder Based on Glycidyl Azide Polymer and Dipolarophile Curing Agents

Abstract Instead of using urethane curing systems, which have long been used as solid propellants, a triazole curing system has been introduced into a new binder recipe in which azide groups in the polymer react with triple bonds of a dipolarophile curing agent. Commercially available glycidyl azide polymers (GAP) were used and an aliphatic curing agent, bispropargyl succinate (BPS), as well as an aromatic curing agent, 1,4‐bis(1‐hydroxypropargyl)benzene (BHPB), were synthesized as dipolarophile curing agent. Together with networks prepared under the triazole curing system, the networks under dual curing systems, which consist of an isocyanate curing agent and a dipolarophile curing agent, were prepared. Through swelling experiments, solubility parameters and crosslinking densities of the triazole crosslinked networks were determined by using Gee’s theory and Flory–Rhener theory. The mechanical properties of the triazole crosslinked networks were also investigated with different contents of the dipolarophile curing agent, along with the type of dipolarophile curing agent. The networks prepared under the triazole curing system did not show good mechanical properties. However, GAP‐based networks prepared under a dual curing system showed excellent mechanical properties with only a small amount of dipolarophile curing agent used. The effects of BPS and BHPB on the mechanical properties of the networks were much more distinguishable in networks prepared under a dual curing system rather than a single curing system.