1. Epoxy resin chemistry

Epoxy resins were discovered almost simultaneously by the Swiss Castan and the American Greenlee. Anglo-Saxon authors refer to these products as epoxy resins, to emphasize that what they have in common is the epoxy group (an oxygen connected to two consecutive carbons). The universally adopted abbreviated notation is EP .

In 1936, Pierre Castan, searching for a material well-suited to dental prostheses, made a breakthrough discovery: the addition of acid anhydrides to epoxy compounds triggered a polyaddition reaction, giving rise to high-quality plastics. The first patents were registered in favor of Société de Trey Frères, where Castan worked. The patents were then licensed to Ciba SA, Basel, who undertook a comprehensive research and development program before launching the first industrial application of epoxy...