Curekinetics of epoxy resin and thermoplastic polymer

The cure kinetics and morphology of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) modified with polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) using diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM) as hardener were investigated through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM). Isothermal curing measurements were carried out at 150, 120 and 80°C. The kinetic parameters were obtained using the general autocatalytic chemically controlled model. The comparison of the kinetic data indicates that the presence of PVAc does not change the autocatalytic nature of the cure reaction. Two T _g’s were observed in the fully cured samples of the modified systems. ESEM micrographies confirm the biphasic morphology.