Curing characteristics of carboxyl functionalized glucose resin and epoxy resin

The curing characteristics of carboxylic functionalized glucose resin (glucose maleic acid ester vinyl resin: GMAEV) and epoxy resin have been studied using DSC and FTIR methods. Exothermic reactions attributed to esterification and etherification reactions of the hydroxyl and carboxyl functionalities of GMAEV with the epoxy groups were identified. Exothermic reactions showed very different patterns according to the degree of carboxyl group substituent of GMAEV. The results showed that esterification reaction occurs in the early stage of cure and then etherification followed after completion of the esterification. A cured matrix containing epoxy resin and 50 wt.% of GMAEV was prepared and characterized. The cured matrix showed thermal stability up to 300 °C. The average glass transition temperature and storage modulus of the matrix were as high as 95 °C and 2700 MPa, respectively. The cured matrix of epoxy resin and GMAEV with higher degree of carboxyl group was found to have a lower density due to the formation of bulky groups in the crosslinks.     

Synthesis of novel epoxy-group modified phosphazene-containing nanotube and its reinforcing effect in epoxy resin

In this work, novel epoxy-group modified phosphazene-containing nanotubes (EPPZTs) were successfully synthesized through the reaction between epichlorohydrin and phosphazene-containing nanotubes with active hydroxyl groups. The structure was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and the morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). EPPZTs/epoxy resin composites were prepared by introducing EPPZTs into epoxy resin matrix (EP618). Impact strength and tensile strength of the composites with different content of EPPZTs were tested and SEM was used to study the dispersion of EPPZTs in polymer matrix. The best effect in reinforcing the matrix was observed when the content of EPPZTs was 0.1%. The thermal stability of the composites was studied by thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and it was found that the addition of EPPZTs effectively increased the residue and decreased the weight loss rate.     

A novel epoxy methacrylate resin containing phthalazinone moiety for UV coatings

A novel phthalazinone modified epoxy acrylate resin for the high temperature resistant ultravioet (UV) curable coating was synthesized. The methacrylated epoxy resins obtained were utilized to UV radiation curing by taking 2.5% (wt%) of photoinitiator in combination with 20% (wt%) of diluent, and generated the interpenetraring polymer networks. The cured film had good thermal and chemical stability.     

Water absorption effects on hydrophilic polymer matrix of carboxyl functionalized glucose resin and epoxy resin

The effects of water absorption on hydrophilic polymer matrices based on carboxylic functionalized glucose (glucose maleic acid ester vinyl resin) and epoxy resins were studied as a function of curing temperature. The matrix cured at higher temperature shows compact crosslinks due to the higher concentration of ether bonds comparing to the matrix cured at the lower temperature. The polymer matrices cured at different temperatures were immersed in water at room temperature for 1000 h and the thermomechanical properties of the cured polymers were characterized using DMA and TGA. Two types of sorbed water were identified. Type I sorbed water contributed mainly to increasing the weight and to the decrease in T_g due to a plasticizer effect. Type II sorbed water was not removed after heating the polymer to 110 °C for an hour. Type II sorbed water causes changes in the mechanical properties of the polymers cured at different temperatures depending on the crosslinks of the matrix. The cured matrix at the higher temperature has the comparatively tight crosslinks in the network structure and the sorbed water molecule disturbed the polymer network resulting in the degradation of the matrix such as microcracks.     

Graft interpenetrating polymer networks composed of epoxy resin and urethane acrylate resin

For enhancing the interpenetratoin and/or compatibility of the simultaneous interpenetrating networks (SINs) composed of epoxy resin (epoxy) and urethane acrylate resin (UAR), the graft epoxy consisting of different lengths of poly(oxypropylene) (PO) side chains were synthesized and characterized. It was found that the graft epoxy composed of short PO side chains [MW 480, epoxy-g-PO(480)] showed a compatible system while if consisting of longer PO grafts [MW 950, epoxy-g-PO(950)] exhibited a partial microphase separation morphology. DSC measurements as well as the SEM or TEM observation indicated that the interpenetration between the two phases for epoxy/UAR SINs including epoxy-g-PO(480) was improved appreciably due to the excellent miscibility between the PO grafts and PO segments existing in the graft epoxy and the UAR network, respectively. In this case, for SIN(80/20) containing 10 wt % of epoxy-g-PO(480) the tensile strength increases by a factor of 2.70 compared with that of pure epoxy network. However, the improvement of interpenetration and/or compatibility between the two networks as well as the mechanical properties for SINs composed of epoxy-g-PO(950) are limited resulting in the partial microphase separation of epoxy-g-PO(950) network's own self. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3568–3574, 1999     

The non-halogen flame retardant epoxy resin based on a novel compound with phosphaphenanthrene and cyclotriphosphazene double functional groups

A novel flame retardant additive hexa-(phosphaphenanthrene -hydroxyl-methyl-phenoxyl)-cyclotriphosphazene (HAP-DOPO) with phosphazene and phosphaphenanthrene double functional groups has been synthesized from hexa-chloro-cyclotriphosphazene, 4-hydroxy-benzaldehyde and 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10- phosphaphenanthrene 10-oxide(DOPO). The structure of HAP-DOPO was characterized by Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR) and ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance (³¹P NMR). The additive HAP-DOPO was blended into diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) to prepare flame retardant epoxy resins. The flame retardant properties and thermal properties of the epoxy resins cured by 4, 4′-Diamino-diphenyl sulfone (DDS) were investigated from the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), UL94 test, the limiting oxygen index (LOI) test and Cone calorimeter. Compared to traditional DOPO-DGEBA and ODOPB-DGEBA thermosets, the HAP-DOPO/DGEBA thermosets have higher T_gs at the same UL94 V-0 flammability rating for their higher crosslinking density and have higher char yield and lower pk-HRR at same 1.2 wt.% phosphorus content which confirm that HAP-DOPO has higher flame retardant efficiency on thermosets. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results shows that HAP-DOPO in DGEBA/DDS system obviously accelerate formation of the sealing, stronger and phosphorus-rich char layer to improve flame retardant properties of matrix during combustion.     

Synthesis and properties of isosorbide based epoxy resin

Isosorbide based epoxy resin (IS-EPO) of epoxy number: 0.44 mol/100 g was synthesised in the one step reaction from 1,4:3,6-dianhydro-d-glucitol (isosorbide) and epichlorohydrin in the presence of concentrated aqueous NaOH. The product obtained was characterised by means of NMR, FT-IR and ESI MS spectroscopy. Compositions with typical hardeners were prepared and cured. The thermal and mechanical properties of the resulting materials were evaluated. Comparison with commercially available epoxy resin Epidian 5 shows relatively good mechanical performance of IS-EPO which makes isosorbide a promising candidate to replace bisphenol A (BPA).     

A novel all-organic chemical and electrochemical fluorescent switch

A three-component molecular system capable of switching fluorescence ON and OFF was designed and synthesized. The new redox-activator optical signal generator is an ‘all-organic’ system composed of 2-chloronaphthoquinone connected to 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene via a non-conjugating piperazine spacer. Both chemo- and electrophotoswitching capabilities were demonstrated.     

Synthesis, characterization, thermal properties and flame retardancy of a novel nonflammable phosphazene-based epoxy resin

Hexakis(4-hydroxyphenoxy)-cyclotriphosphazene (PN-OH) was synthesized through nucleophilic substitution of the chloride atoms of hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene and reduction of the aldehyde groups, and its chemical structure was characterized by elemental analysis, ¹H and ³¹P NMR, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. A new phosphazene-based epoxy resin (PN-EP) was successfully synthesized through the reaction between diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) and PN-OH, and its chemical structure was confirmed by FTIR and gel permeation chromatography. Four PN-EP thermosets were obtained by curing with 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM), dicyandiamide (DICY), novolak and pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA). The reactivity of PN-EP with the four curing agents presents an increase in the order of DDM, PMDA, novolak and DICY. An investigation on their thermal properties shows that the PN-EP thermosets achieve higher glass-transition and decomposition temperatures in comparison with the corresponding DGEBA ones while their char yields increase significantly. The PN-EP thermosets also exhibit excellent flame retardancy. The thermosets with novolak, DICY and PMDA achieve the LOI values above 30 and flammability rating of UL94 V-0, whereas the one with DDM reaches the V-1 rating. The nonflammable halogen-free epoxy resin synthesized in this study has potential applications in electric and electronic fields in consideration of the environment and human health.     

Curing of liquid epoxy resin in plasma discharge

Epoxy resins in the solid state, liquid state and during polymerisation were treated by microwave oxygen plasma and analysed by FTIR spectra. Curing, etching and oxidation kinetics of epoxy resin were observed. In the liquid resin and polymerising mixture the effect of structure modification was observed more intensively than in the case of solid sample due to a mixing process. A modification of bulk layers of liquid epoxy resin was observed under plasma action. The polymerisation reaction of epoxy resin with amine hardening agent can be released in plasma discharge at low pressure.     

Thermal properties of epoxy resin nanocomposites based on hydrotalcites

Epoxy resin nanocomposites containing home-made hydrotalcites (HTlc) have been prepared and their properties have been studied and compared with those of montmorillonite (MMT)-type layered silicates-based nanocomposites. Nanofiller dispersion in the polymer matrix has been evaluated by transmission (TEM) electron microscopy and wide angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD), while nanocomposite thermal properties have been studied in detail by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG) and cone calorimeter tests.The morphological studies have shown that the compatibilisation of the above two type of nanofillers allowed us to obtain nanostructured materials. As far as thermal properties are concerned, nanocomposites based on HTlc are found to decompose, both in air and nitrogen, following a trend similar to that of the neat polymer matrix, while in the case of the nanocomposite based on the organophilic MMT a slight improvement was found in air. Conversely, cone calorimetric tests have demonstrated that only the organophilic hydrotalcite was capable of decreasing the peak of the heat release rate in a relevant way.     

A novel nonenzymatic fluorescent sensor for glucose based on silica nanoparticles doped with europium coordination compound

Amino-functionalized luminescent silica nanoparticles (LSNPs) doped with the europium(III) mixed complex, Eu(TTA)₃phen with 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTA) and 1,10-phenanthroline(phen) were synthesized successfully using an revised Stöber method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR), and fluorescence spectroscopy were performed for characterizing the synthesized nanoparticles. In the presence of glucose, the fluorescence intensity of the amino-functionalized LSNPs was enhanced due to the enhanced fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Based on fluorescence-enhancing effect, a simple and sensitive method for the determination of glucose was proposed. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the enhanced fluorescence intensity ratio (ΔF/F₀) was linear with the concentration of glucose (c) in the range of 0.0-180 μg ml⁻¹ with a detection limit of 0.8 μg ml⁻¹ (S/N = 3). The R.S.D. values were 0.33% and 0.37% at the levels of 22.5 and 100 μg ml⁻¹, respectively. The proposed method was applied to the determination of glucose in synthetic samples with satisfactory results. The proposed method was also performed to the analysis of blood glucose in human serum samples and the results were in good agreement with clinical data provided by the hospital, which indicates that the method presented here is not only simple, sensitive, but also reliable and suitable for practical applications.     

Effects of organo-montmorillonite dispersion on thermal stability of epoxy resin nanocomposites

Montmorillonite (MMT) was modified with the acidified cocamidopropyl betaine (CAB) and the resulting organo-montmorillonite (O-MMT) was dispersed in an epoxy/methyl tetrahydrophthalic anhydride system to form epoxy nanocomposites. The dispersion state of the MMT in the matrix was investigated by X-ray diffraction and scanning electronic microscopy. The thermal stability of the epoxy nanocomposites was examined by TGA. Thermal stability of the epoxy nanocomposite is dependent upon the dispersion state of the OMMT in the epoxy matrix although all the epoxy nanocomposites had enhanced thermal stability compared with the neat epoxy resin. The thermal stability of the epoxy resin nanocomposites was correlated with the dispersion state of the MMT in the epoxy resin matrix.     

The application of highly soluble amine-terminated aromatic polyimides with pendent tert-butyl groups as a tougher for epoxy resin

Polyimides(PIs) with various molecular weights synthesized via the reaction of aromatic diamine monomer containing tert-butyl groups with aromatic dianhydride were highly soluble in common organic solvents and some epoxy resins at room temperature. These PIs can be incorporated in the absence of organic solvent into epoxy resin E51 with the loading below 2 wt% forming EP-PI composites. No phase separation is observed by SEM on cryogenically fractured surfaces of EP-PI composites. The PI can improve mechanical properties, especially impact strength. Adding 2 wt% PI-1.5W, the impact strength reaches to 55 k J/m2 with the increase in tensile and flexural strengths by 14% and 3%, respectively. SEM analyses for the fracture surface suggest that PI reduces the crosslink density, improves the plasticity of epoxy resin and changes the mode of fracture from fragile to ductile. Moreover, the glass transition temperature of EP-PI composites was found to increase to a significant extent.     

Mechanical properties of polymer composites based on commercial epoxy vinyl ester resin and glass fiber

The effect of the addition of methyl ethyl ketone peroxide (MEKP) and cobalt naphthenate (CoNaph) on the mechanical behavior of epoxy vinyl ester resin (EVER) laminates has been investigated by using a factorial experimental design, in which the MEKP and NaphCo contents were varied. Previous results showed that there is an interaction effect between the process variables analysed on the mechanical properties evaluated. It was also observed that the MEKP/CoNaph ratio affected the tensile behavior of the EVER/glass fiber composites.     

Soft ionisation analysis of evolved gas for oxidative decomposition of an epoxy resin/carbon fibre composite

Soft ionisation mass spectrometry was used to investigate the oxidative decomposition of an epoxy resin/carbon fibre composite using thermogravimetry (TG) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS). Through comparison between decomposition in air and in argon, it was recognized that the first step of the oxidative decomposition of the epoxy resins was similar to the decomposition in argon. During the devolatilisation process, the oxidative decomposition underwent a thermal decomposition leading to the formation of a large amount of volatile products which were subsequently oxidized into water and carbon dioxide. The gas produced in the thermal decomposition was not oxidized completely leaving some organic volatiles in the emissions. Using soft ionisation, the components of the evolved gases were identified by mass spectrometry.     

用FTIR定量研究环氧树脂固化反应动力学制样方法的确定

利用FTIR进行环氧树脂固化反应的动力学研究需要精确的样品制备方法,摸索到一套合适的样品制备方法。将KBr研成细粉,通过孔径为0.074mm筛子使粒子均匀,在120~150℃下加热24h后,取0.25g,放入红外压片模具,在压力为800MPa条件下加压时间5~10min,压制成厚度为0.08mm的透明均匀KBr盐片。将环氧树脂均匀涂在这种KBr盐片上,放入微型反应器中反应,之后一同放入FTIR仪中进行扫描,实验证明这种制样方法可以保证红外定量分析的可靠性。     

A flame-retardant epoxy resin based on a reactive phosphorus-containing monomer of DODPP and its thermal and flame-retardant properties

A flame-retardant epoxy resin (EP) was synthesized based on a novel reactive phosphorus-containing monomer, 4-[(5,5-dimethyl-2-oxide-1,3,2-dioxaphosphorinan-4-yl)oxy]-phenol (DODPP), and its structures were characterized by FTIR, ¹H NMR and ³¹P NMR spectra. The DODPP-EP₃/LWPA (low molecular weight polyamide), which contains 2.5% phosphorus, can reach UL-94 V-0 rating and a limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of 30.2%. The thermal properties and burning behaviours of cured epoxy resins were investigated by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), thermogravimetry (TG), LOI, UL-94 tests and cone calorimetry. The morphologies of residues of cured epoxy resins were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). DSC shows that the glass-transition temperatures of cured epoxy resins decrease with increasing phosphorus content. TGA shows that the onset decomposition temperatures and the maximum-rate decomposition temperatures decrease, while char yields increase, with the increase of phosphorus content. The data from the cone calorimeter tests give the evidence that heat release rate (HRR), peak heat release rate (PHRR), average heat release rate (Av-HRR), average mass loss rate (Av-MLR) and the fire growth rate index (FIGRA) decrease significantly for DODPP-EP₃/LWPA. SEM shows that the DODPP-EP₃/LWPA forms lacunaris and compact charred layers which inhibit the transmission of heat during combustion.     

A dansyl-based fluorescent film: Preparation and sensitive detection of nitroaromatics in aqueous phase

A novel fluorescent film sensor for the detection of nitroaromatics in aqueous phase has been developed via chemical immobilization of dansyl chromophores on an epoxy-terminated self-assembled monolayer on glass slide surfaces. Chemical attachment of the chromophore on the substrate surface endows the present film a satisfying stability and avoids the leaching of the chromophores. Increase in the length of the spacer connecting the sensing element and the substrate results in a dramatic improvement in the performance of the film compared to those with similar structures. Fluorescence quenching experiments demonstrates that in aqueous medium, the emission of the film is more sensitive to nitrobenzene (NB) than to other nitroaromatics, including 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, p-chloronitrobenzene, m-dinitrobenzene, p-dinitrobenzene, and o-chloronitrobenzene, etc. This exceptional result has been rationalized by considering the possible hindrance effect induced by the compact conformation of the long flexible spacer. It is also demonstrated that the NB quenching is static in nature, and the response of the film to NB is fast and reversible.     

Flame retardancy of fibre-reinforced epoxy resin composites for aerospace applications

The applicability of phosphorus-containing reactive amine, which can be used in epoxy resins both as crosslinking agent and as flame retardant, was compared in an aliphatic and an aromatic epoxy resin system. In order to fulfil the strong requirements on mechanical properties of the aircraft and aerospace applications, where they are mostly supposed to be applied, carbon fibre-reinforced composites were prepared. The flame retardant performance was characterized by relevant tests and mass loss type cone calorimeter. Besides the flame retardancy, the tensile and bending characteristics and interlaminar shear strength were evaluated. The intumescence-hindering effect of the fibre reinforcement was overcome by forming a multilayer composite, consisting of reference composite core and intumescent epoxy resin coating layer, which proved to provide simultaneous amelioration of flame retardancy and mechanical properties of epoxy resins.