In contrast to alkyd resins, which have unsaturated fatty acid structures capable of yielding a cross-linked network by air-drying via oxidative curing, polyesters need to be cured by a suitable external cross-linking agent to obtain the desired mechanical properties as well as durability and chemical resistance. Depending upon expected performance and application conditions, a range of curing agents is used, including amino resins, polyisocyanates and epoxy resins. Some important cross-linking reactions of polyester systems are shown in Figure 2.15 and Figure 2.16.
Curing of saturated polyester resins
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