1,2-Bis(vinylphenyl)ethane (BVPE) could be cured without curing agents at relatively low temperatures (similar to180degrees) in a nitrogen atmosphere. Cured BVPE (CBVPE) resin showed exceptionally low dielectric constant (epsilon = 2.50 at 10 GHz) and low dielectric loss tangent (tan delta = 0.0012 at 10 GHz), and had excellent thermal resistance. Its 5 wt % weight-loss temperature was 425degreesC in a nitrogen atmosphere and glass transition temperature was over 400degreesC. Poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO) was used to improve the toughness of CBVPE resin. PPO was an effective modifier to toughen CBVPE resin: when using 30 wt % of the modifier, the tensile strength and elongation of the modified CBVPE resin were 75 MPa and 26%, respectively. The modified CBVPE resin also showed excellent dielectric properties (E = 2.45 at 10 GHz, tan delta = 0.0015 at 10 GHz). (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.