Curatives for epoxy resin, curing accelerator, and epoxy resin composition

Abstract

The present invention has an object to provide curatives for epoxy resins and curing accelerators for epoxy resins, which both have improved subliming and decomposing properties and which, when mixed with an epoxy resin, enable the mixture to be greatly improved in thermal stability that is extremely important for the control of a curing reaction and to have a prolonged pot life (stability as a one-pack mixture comprising the epoxy resin, curative, etc.) and improved curability at low temperatures. The curative is characterized by being a clathrate comprising a tetrakisphenol compound represented by a general formula (I), wherein X represents (CH 2 )n, wherein n is 0, 1, 2 or 3, and R 1 to R 8 each represents hydrogen, a lower alkyl, optionally-substituted phenyl, halogeno or a lower alkoxy, and the curing accelerator is characterized by being a clathrate comprising a tetrakisphenol compound represented by the general formula (I) shown above and a compound accelerating the curing of a compound which reacts with the epoxy group of an epoxy resin to cure the resin.

1 .- 2 . (canceled) 
   
   
       3 . A curative for epoxy resin, comprising a clathrate comprising:
 a tetrakisphenol compound represented by a general formula (I) and a compound reacting with an epoxy group to cure an epoxy resin,   
     
       
         
         
             
             
         
       
       wherein X represents (CH 2 )n, wherein n is 0, 1, 2 or 3, and R 1  to R 8  each represents hydrogen, a lower alkyl, a phenyl optionally substituted with halogen or C 1 -C 6  alkyl, a halogen or a C 1 -C 6  alkoxy. 
     
   
   
       4 . A curing accelerator for epoxy resin, comprising a clathrate comprising a tetrakisphenol compound represented by a general formula (I) and a compound accelerating the curing of a compound reacting with an epoxy group to cure an epoxy resin, 
     
       
         
         
             
             
         
       
       wherein X represents (CH 2 )n, wherein n is 0, 1, 2 or 3, and R 1  to R 8  each represents hydrogen, a lower alkyl, a phenyl optionally substituted with halogen or C 1 -C 6  alkyl, a halogen or a C 1 -C 6  alkoxy. 
     
   
   
       5 . (canceled) 
   
   
       6 . The epoxy resin composition according to  claim 4 , wherein the content of a tetrakisphenol compound represented by a general formula (I) in the clathrate is in a range of from 0.001 to 0.025 mole based on 1 mole of the epoxy group. 
   
   
       7 .- 11 . (canceled)