Catalysts, Accelerators and Inhibitors for Unsaturated Polyester Resins

Abstract

Most unsaturated polyester resins consist of a solution of a polyester in styrene monomer. The styrene serves two purposes: firstly it acts as a solvent for the resin and secondly it enables the resin to be cured from a liquid to a solid by cross-linking with the polyester chain, without the evolution of any by-products. This curing or cross-linking is achieved at room temperature by adding a catalyst (or initiator) plus an accelerator (or promoter) and at elevated temperatures just by adding a catalyst and heating.