A new propargyl-functional resin, propargyl ether bisphenol A novolac (PBPN), was synthesized, and the structure of PBPN were characterized using H-1 NMR and FTIR spectra. The PBPN was blended with 4 4'-bismaleimide diphenyl methane (BDM) at different molar ratio to obtain the blends. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to characterize the cure behavior of PBPN and the blends. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) were performed, respectively, to evaluate thermal stability and dynamic mechanical properties of the cured resins. The results indicate that the PBPN presented better cure and thermal properties than do traditional propargyl resins; furthermore, the cure behavior and thermal properties of PBPN could be improved remarkably by blending with BDM. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.