Nonbond interactions,
such as hydrogen bonds and π–π/p-π interactions, have a decisive effect on the physical
properties of phenolic-rich polymers, such as the novolac-type phenolic
resins. To study the influence of nonbond interactions on the glass
transition temperature (T
g) of novolac
resins, both the molecular dynamics and experimental approaches were
applied. The results show that, compared with the o-p′ type novolac, the o-o′ type novolac models have relatively lower gyration
radiuses and higher T
g values because
more intramolecular hydrogen bonds can be formed in the o-o′ type novolac models. As there are fewer
hydrogen bonds formed in o-p′
type novolac, the π–π and p-π
interactions, which decrease with the degree of polymerization and
temperature, strongly influence the glass transition of o-p′ type novolac. These results provide a
new perspective on the structural-property relationship of phenolic
resin.