Abstract
Stabilities and structures of resorcinol formaldehyde resins (RF resins) and their dependence on solvent were studied by molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics. Dimers to decamers of the RF resins in the conditions of dielectric constant = 1.00, 21.01, 36.64, and 80.10 were calculated. The average distance between oxygen atoms in 1-hydroxyl groups of adjacent resorcinols of the resins became longer with increased dielectric constant of the environment. The number of intramolecular hydrogen bonds of the resins decreased by increasing the dielectric constant of the environment. The RF resin structure on the surface of fabric or steel cord was explained based on the present calculation.