Thermal and mechanical properties of epoxy resin toughened with epoxidized soybean oil

A series of new modified epoxy resin (EP) cured products were prepared from epoxidized soybean oil and commercial epoxy resin, with methyl nadic anhydride as curing agent and 1-methylimidazole as promoting agent. The thermal properties of the resins were characterized by DMA and TG; DSC was used to determine the curing process. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was utilized to investigate their molecular structures and scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the micro morphology of their impact fracture surfaces. Tensile and impact testing was employed to characterize the mechanical properties of the cured products. The combination of commercial EP with 20 wt% ESO resulted in a bioresin with the optimum set of properties: 130.5 °C T _g, 396.9 °C T _50 %, 74.89 MPa tensile strength, and 48.86 kJ m^?2 impact resistance.     

Synthesis, cure kinetics, and thermal properties of a novel boron–silicon hybrid polymer

A novel boron–silicon hybrid polymer (PASB) was synthesized from polycondensation between phenylboron dichloride and dichloromethylsilane with Grignard reagent. The structure of PASB was characterized using fourier transform infrared spectra, ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR, and gel permeation chromatography. The curing behavior of PASB was investigated by means of non-isothermal differential scanning calorimetry and the kinetic parameters were determined by the Kissinger’s and Ozawa’s methods, respectively. The results showed that both the methods for calculating the activation energy value gave fairly close results of 104.4 and 107.7 kJ mol^?1, respectively. A reasonable curing cycle for the resin system was also established, which suggested that it was reasonable to choose a curing temperature between T _i0 (452.0 K) and T _f0 (554.0 K). These results can provide theoretical guidance reference for determining the curing of the resin system. The thermal stability of cured PASB resin was studied by means of thermogravimetric analysis under nitrogen atmosphere and the temperature of 5 % mass loss (Td₅) was 610.1 °C, the residue at 1,000 °C was 87.8 %, which showed that the cured PASB resin exhibited excellent thermal properties and made it potentially useful as high performance matrix resin and precursor for ceramics.     

Epoxy resins (DGEBA): The curing and physical aging process

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and infrared spectroscopy (IR) were used to monitor the degree of cure of partially cured epoxy resin (Epon 828/MDA) samples. The extent of cure, as determined by residual heat of reaction, concurred with that determined by monitoring the infrared radiation absorbance of the epoxide group near 916 cm^?l. The fictive temperature T_{f, g} was found to increase with the degree of cure, increasing rapidly during cure until reaching a value near the cure temperature T_c of 130°C (approximately 80% cure) where the material vitrified. The greatly reduced reaction rate during the final 20% of cure was not only a consequence of vitrification but, as revealed by infrared spectroscopy, the result of the depletion in the number of reactive epoxide groups. The endothermic peak areas and peak temperatures evident during the DSC scans were used as a measure of the extent of “physical aging” which took place during the cure of this resin, and after, fully cured samples were aged 37°C below their ultimate glass temperature for various periods of time. The rate of physical aging slowed as the temperature increment (T_t,g ? T_c) increased. Although an endothermic peak was evident after only 1 h of cure (T_{f, g} = 138.3°C), such a peak did not appear until fully cured samples were aged for 16 h or more. Enthalpy data revealed that for partially cured material, the fictive temperature T_{f, a}, reflecting physical aging, increased with curing time. In contrast, the T_{f, a}, for fully cured samples decreased with sub-T_g aging time. The characteristic jump in the heat capacity ΔC_p which occurred at the T_{f, g} decreased as curing progressed. This decrease appears to be dependent upon the rotational and vibrational degrees of freedom of the glass. Finally, a graphical method of determining the fictive temperature T_{f, a}, of partially and fully cured epoxy material from measured endothermic peak areas was developed.     

Physical aging studies in epoxy resins. I. Kinetics of the enthalpy relaxation process in a fully cured epoxy resin

The physical aging of an epoxy resin based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A cured by a hardener derived from phthalic anhydride has been studied by differential scanning calorimetry. The isothermal curing of the epoxy resin was carried out in one step at 130°C for 8 h, obtaining a fully cured resin whose glass transition was at 98.9°C. Samples were aged at temperatures between 50 and 100°C for periods of time from 15 min to a maximum of 1680 h. The extent of physical aging has been measured by the area of the endothermic peak which appears below and within the glass transition region. The enthalpy relaxation was found to increase gradually with aging time to a limiting value where structural equilibrium is reached. However, this structural equilibrium was reached experimentally only at an aging temperature of T_g-10°C. The kinetics of enthalpy relaxation was analysed in terms of the effective relaxation time τ_eff. The rate of relaxation of the system given by 1/τ_eff decreases as the system approaches equilibrium, as the enthalpy relaxation tends to its limiting value. Single phenomenological approaches were applied to enthalpy relaxation data. Assuming a separate dependence of temperature and structure on τ, three characteristic parameters of the enthalpic relaxation process were obtained (In A = ?333, E_H = 1020 kJ/mol, C = 2.1 g/J). Comparisons with experimental data show some discrepancies at aging temperatures of 50 and 60°C, where sub-T_g peaks appears. These discrepancies probably arise from the fact that the model assumes a single relaxation time. A better fit to aging data was obtained when a Williams-Watts function was applied. The values of the nonexponential parameter β were slightly dependent on temperature, and the characteristic time was found to decrease with temperature. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Development of novel cardo‐containing phenylethynyl‐terminated polyimide with high thermal properties

A phenylethynyl‐terminated reactive diluent [Card‐4‐phenylethynylphthalic anhydride (PEPA)], which contained fluorenyl cardo structures, was successfully synthesized and used as a modifier for flexible phenylethynyl‐terminated imide oligomer (PEI‐PEPA). The chemical structure, crosslink characterization, molecular weights, and thermal properties of the products were characterized. The imide systems with addition of 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt% Card‐PEPA to PEI‐PEPA (PEI‐PEPA‐Card) and their cured resin systems were prepared. The thermal curing behaviors of imide systems at different heating rates were analyzed by using differential scanning calorimetry. Thermal properties such as glass transition temperature (T_g) and char yield at 800°C of the resultant resin systems were studied by differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. The rheological properties were also investigated using a dynamic rheometry. These properties were found to be outstanding compared with pure PEI‐PEPA. The uncured imide systems exhibited lower T_g and lower isothermal viscosity with addition of Card‐PEPA. Furthermore, the T_g and char yield of the cured resin systems increased with addition of Card‐PEPA. The cured resin systems containing 40 wt% Card‐PEPA exhibited the highest T_g of 359°C and char yield at 800°C of 66.5%. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synergism and multiple mechanical relaxations observed in ternary systems based on benzoxazine,epoxy, and phenolic resins

The synergism in the glass‐transition temperature (T_g) of ternary systems based on benzoxazine (B), epoxy (E), and phenolic (P) resins is reported. The systems show the maximum T_g up to about 180 °C in BEP541 (B/E/P = 5/4/1). Adding a small fraction of phenolic resin enhances the crosslink density and, therefore, the T_g in the copolymers of benzoxazine and epoxy resins. To obtain the ultimate T_g in the ternary systems, 6–10 wt % phenolic resin is needed. The molecular rigidity from benzoxazine and the improved crosslink density from epoxy contribute to the synergistic behavior. The mechanical relaxation spectra of the fully cured ternary systems in a temperature range of −140 to 350 °C show four types of relaxation transitions: γ transition at −80 to −60 °C, β transition at 60–80 °C, α₁ transition at 135–190 °C, and α₂ transition at 290–300 °C. The partially cured specimens show an additional loss peak that is frequency‐independent as a result of the further curing process of the materials. The ternary systems have a potential use as electronic packaging molding compounds as well as other highly filled systems. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 38: 1687–1698, 2000     

Reduced curing kinetic energy and enhanced thermal resistance of phthalonitrile resins modified with inorganic particles

The effects of inorganic particles such as Al₂O₃ and B₄C on the solidification kinetics and heat resistance of phthalonitrile resin were investigated. The properties of the blends and the cured products were tested by rheometer, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results revealed that B₄C and Al₂O₃ inorganic particles could prolong the gel time of phthalonitrile resin and broaden the processing window. The curing kinetic analysis showed that the presence of the particles could significantly reduce the curing activation energy of phthalonitrile resins by 72.38 kJ/mol down to 43.03 kJ/mol. Meanwhile, the heat resistance of the phthalonitrile resin was improved. Among them, the blend system combined with 30% B₄C showed prominent thermoresistance. And while the T_d5% weight loss temperature was 600°C, char yield at 1000°C was higher than 86% under nitrogen atmosphere; while the T_d5% weight loss temperature was 581°C, char yield at 1000°C was higher than 80% under air atmosphere. Hence, the resulting resins were good candidate matrix of high‐temperature structural composites.     

Cationic concentration effects on electron beam cured of carbon-epoxy composites

Electron beam (e-beam) curing is a technology that offers advantages over the thermal curing process, that usually requires high temperature and are time-consuming. E-beam curing is faster and occurs at low temperatures that help reduce residual mechanical stresses in a thermoset composite. The aim of the present study is to analyze the effects of cationic initiator (diaryliodonium hexafluoroantimonate) ranged from 1 to 3 wt% in DGEBA (diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A) epoxy resin when cured by a 1.5 MeV electron beam. The specimens were cured to a total dose of 200.4 kGy for 40 min. Analyses by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) show that the e-beam irradiated samples with 2 wt% cationic initiator were 96% cured obtained a glass transition temperature (tan δ) of 167 °C. The same epoxy resin, thermally cured for 16 h with an anhydride hardener, reached a T_g (tan δ) of 136 °C. So, the irradiated sample had its T_g increased approximately 20% and the curing process was much less time consuming.     

Pulsed NMR study of molecular motion in the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A cured with 4,4′-methylenedianiline

The monomeric diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A cured with methylenedianiline has been studied by pulsed NMR. Values of the proton relaxation times T₁, T_1p, and T₂ have been measured over the temperature range ?160 to 200°C. The system was studied after being fully postcured at 180°C and after being cured at 100°C and at 54°C. The relaxation times are interpreted in terms of molecular motion in the cured resins, i.e., methyl group reorientation, segmental motions, and general molecular motion. The results are compared with those obtained previously by us for the uncured resin. Correlation frequencies for the segmental motions are compared with those obtained from dielectric relaxation and mechanical loss studies. There are at least two principal segmental motions present in the cured system, and the nature of these motions is found to depend on the cure temperature. These effects are discussed in terms of crosslinking and annealing of the system.     

Enhanced properties of phthalonitrile resins under lower curing temperature via complex curing agent

High curing temperature has been restricting the application and development of phthalonitrile resin. A complex curing agent containing melamine (ME) and ZnCl₂ was developed to promote the curing reaction of resorcinol‐based phthalonitrile resin (DPPH). The thermal stability of ME can be significantly enhanced via adding ZnCl₂, which was due to the interaction between ZnCl₂ and amino group in ME. Moreover, the activities of pristine ZnCl₂ and ME were improved via mixing, especially, the curing temperature for DPPH can be effectively reduced. Even at a curing temperature of 300°C, the 5% weight loss temperature of the resulting resin cured with complex curing agent still exceeded 500°C, which was much higher than those with pristine curing agents. In addition, the good long‐term oxidation stability and relatively low water absorption can also be obtained in the resins cured with novel curing agent. This work affords a facile route for designing high‐performance curing agent to improve the curing process of phthalonitrile resin.     

Thermal cured epoxy resins using certain calixarenes and their esterified derivatives as curing agents

The acetyl esterified calixarene (CA) derivatives were prepared from calix[4]resorcinarene (CRA), and p‐tert‐butylcalixarene (BCA[n], n = 4, 6, 8), respectively. Using these CA derivatives as curing agents, the thermal curing reactions of two multifunctional epoxy resins (jER 828, 186 g/equiv., and ESCN, 193.7 g/equiv.) were investigated. The temperatures of glass transition (T_g) and decomposition (T) were measured by DSC and TGA, respectively. Based on the yields, T_gs, and T_ds of the thermal cured jER 828 epoxy resin with CRA‐E100, the curing conditions were optimized to be tetrabutylphosphonium bromide (TBPB) as catalyst in NMP at 160 °C for 15 h. Under this curing condition, the cured materials of jER 828 or ESCN using various CA derivatives as curing agents were prepared. Except for BCA4 derivatives, the yields of thermal curing reaction were higher than 90%. T_gs and Ts of the resultant cured materials were in the range of 113–248 °C and 363–404 °C, respectively. These results mean that the cured epoxy resins with excellent T_gs were successfully formed by using CA derivatives as curing agents. It was also found that the T_gs of cured epoxy resins were strongly affected by the degree of esterification of CA derivatives. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 48: 1931–1942, 2010     

Effect of hydrothermal curing on early hydration of G-Oil well cement

G-Oil well cement has been cured under standard and hydrothermal conditions with different steam pressures and temperatures. Compressive strength, pore structure parameters, microstructure, and hydrated products were evaluated after 7 days curing by using SEM, MIP, and simultaneous TGA/DSC. Obtained results showed that 7 days aged sample cured under standard conditions has the highest compressive strength with compact pore structure and hydrated products similar to those found after hydration of Ordinary Portland cement. With increasing temperature and pressure from standard conditions (25 °C, 10125 Pa) to hydrothermal ones (150 °C and 0.3 MPa, 200 °C and 1.2 MPa), compressive strength has drastically decreased from 77.5 ± 2.0 to 20.5 ± 1.0 MPa due to the transformation of original hydrated products (C–S–H) to crystallized α-C₂SH and C₆S₂H₃. The crystallization has led, under hydrothermal curing, to the increase of permeability and pore structure depletion. The final compressive strength after curing for 7 days at 150 °C (51.8 ± 2.0 MPa) and 200 °C (20.5 ± 1.0 MPa), which significantly exceeds the recommended values of 3.45 MPa according to API to hold many casings of oil wells is questionable for application in geothermal ones.     

BDMA-catalyzed DDA-epoxy resin system: Temperature and composition effects on curing mechanism

DSC and IR data on benzyldimethylamine-catalyzed dicyandiamide-DGEBA prepolymer system have been utilized to investigate the influences of temperature and composition on the curing mechanism. Etherification as a competitive reaction is favored at lower temperature. On the other hand, the reaction pathway of dicyandiamide (DDA) varies with temperature, especially at the first stage of reaction. At 100°C, the reaction of DDA is shown to be essentially the substitution of the hydrogen atoms by ring-opening of epoxy groups, giving rise to N-alkyl cyanoguanidine. But at 140°C or 160°C, the initial reaction of DDA involves a transformation of nitrile groups to imine groups. A greater amount of BDMA and a higher amine-to-epoxy ratio favor the etherification. The glass transition temperature T_g is a complex function of these different mechanisms; higher T_g could be reached with a amino-to-epoxy ratio equal to 0.6 and after a curing cycle including a precure at 100°C.     

Degradable and chemically recyclable epoxy resins containing acetal linkages: Synthesis,properties, and application for carbon fiber‐reinforced plastics

Four sorts of epoxy resins containing degradable acetal linkages were synthesized by the reaction of bisphenol A (BA) or cresol novolak (CN) resin with vinyl ethers containing a glycidyl group [4‐vinlyoxybutyl glycidyl ether (VBGE) and cyclohexane dimethanol vinyl glycidyl ether (CHDMVG)] and cured with known typical amine‐curing agents. The thermal and mechanical properties of the cured resins were investigated. Among the four cured epoxy resins, the CN‐CHDMVG resin (derived from CN and CHDMVE) exhibited relatively high glass transition temperature (T_g = ca. 110 °C). The treatment of these cured epoxy resins with aqueous HCl in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at room temperature for 12 h generated BA and CN as degradation main products in high yield. Carbon fiber‐reinforced plastics (CFRPs) were prepared by heating the laminated prepreg sheets with BA‐CHDMVG (derived from BA and CHDMVE) and CN‐CHDMVG, in which strands of carbon fibers are impregnated with the epoxy resins containing conventional curing agents and curing accelerators. The obtained CFRPs showed good appearance and underwent smooth breakdown with the aqueous acid treatment in THF at room temperature for 24 h to produce strands of carbon fiber without damaging their surface conditions and tensile strength. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Effect of new nonionic curing agent on curing kinetics and mechanical properties of epoxy resin

The current research work presents a novel nonionic curing agent (AEDA) synthesized by utilizing ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE), 3,4-dimethoxyaniline (DI), and triethylenetetramine (TETA). Infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used to characterize the structure of AEDA curing agent. Non-isothermal scanning calorimetry was used to determine the activation energy and curing conditions of epoxy resin in the curing process. An impact testing machine, a tensile testing machine and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to analyze the impact strength, tensile strength, bending strength, and micromorphology of the AEDA/E-51 system with different mass ratios. The results show that AEDA is an effective high-temperature curing agent. For the AEDA/E-51 system with the optimal mass ratio of 10:100, the best curing temperature is 92.15°C, and the post-curing temperature is 135.65°C. Furthermore, the apparent activation energy (E_a) of 1670 J/mol, the pre-exponential factor (A) of 3.7 × 10^?4, and the reaction series (n) value of 0.76 are obtained for the AEDA/E-51 system. The impact strength of AEDA/E-51 epoxy resin polymer is 7.82 kJ/m², tensile strength is 14.2 MPa, and bending strength is 18.92 MPa. The micromorphological results of the AEDA/E-51 system are consistent with the results of DSC test and mechanical properties test. Hence, this study provides theoretical support for the practical applications of AEDA as curing agent.     

Preparation and properties of biocomposites composed of bio‐based epoxy resin,tannic acid,and microfibrillated cellulose

As new bio‐based epoxy resin systems, glycerol polyglycidyl ether (GPE) and sorbitol polyglycidyl ether (SPE) were cured with tannic acid (TA) at various conditions. When the curing conditions were optimized for the improvement of thermal and mechanical properties, the most balanced properties were obtained for the GPE/TA and SPE/TA cured at 160 °C for 2–3 h at the epoxy/hydroxyl ratio of 1/1. The cured SPE/TA had a higher glass transition temperature (T_g) and tensile strength than the cured GPE/TA. Next, biocomposites of GPE/TA and SPE/TA with microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) were prepared by mixing aqueous solution of the epoxy/curing reagent with MFC, and subsequent drying and curing at the optimized condition. For both the GPE/TA/MFC and SPE/TA/MFC biocomposites, T_g and the storage modulus at rubbery plateau region increased with increasing MFC content over the studied range of 3–15 wt %. The tensile strength at 25 °C for GPE/TA/MFC biocomposite with MFC content 10 wt % was 76% higher than that of control GPE/TA, while the tensile modulus was little improved. On the other hand, the tensile strength and modulus of SPE/TA/MFC biocomposite with MFC content 10 wt % were 30 and 55% higher than those of control SPE/TA, respectively. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 425–433, 2010     

Synthesis of Heat-resistant Polymers by Thiol–Ene Reaction of N-Allylmaleimide Copolymers Using Glycoluril Crosslinkers with Rigid Molecular Structures

We carried out the thermal curing of the copolymers of N-allylmaleimide (AMI) and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (2EHA) using 1,3,4,6-tetra(2-mercaproethyl)glycoluril ( G1 ), 1,3,4,6-tetra(3-mercaptopropyl)glycoluril ( G2 ), 1,3,4,6-tetraallylglycoluril ( G3 ), triallylisocyanurate (TAIC), and pentaerythritol tetrakis(3-mercaptobutyrate) (PEMB) as the crosslinkers. Based on the results for the analysis of thiol–ene reactions monitored by IR spectroscopy, it was confirmed that the curing rate significantly depended on the combination of the used crosslinkers. The insoluble fraction after curing was more than 90% for the systems using the glycoluril crosslinkers, while the conversion of the allyl groups was suppressed due to the rigid structure of these crosslinkers. The heat resistance and the mechanical properties of the crosslinked polymers were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical analysis, and mechanical tensile tests. For the products cured using the glycoluril crosslinkers, the glass transition temperature (T_g) and the maximum temperature of thermal decomposition (T_max) were 54–59 °C and 395–409 °C, respectively, being higher than those for the cured product prepared with PEMB and TAIC as the conventional crosslinkers. The elasticity (75–139 MPa), the maximum strength (3.0–4.1 MPa), and the adhesion strength (6.7–10.7 MPa) for the polymers cured with the glycoluril crosslinkers, determined by the mechanical tensile and single lap-shear adhesion tests, were higher than those for cured materials produced with PEMB. Thus, the thermal and mechanical properties of the maleimide copolymers were efficiently enhanced by crosslinking using the rigid glycoluril compounds. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 58, 923–931     

Synthesis and properties of two novel silicon‐containing cycloaliphatic epoxy resins for electronic packaging application

In this paper, two silicon‐containing cycloaliphatic olefins were synthesized through the nucleophilic substitution reactions of cyclohex‐3‐enyl‐1‐methanol with di‐ or tri‐chlorosilane compounds. Then, after epoxidation, two new cycloaliphatic epoxy resins with different epoxy groups were successfully prepared. Their chemical structures were confirmed by ²⁹Si NMR, ¹H NMR, and Fourier‐transform infrared spectra (FTIR). The properties of cured products, including viscoelasticity, glass transition temperature (T_g), coefficient of thermal expansion, thermal stability and water absorption, were investigated. Compared to the difunctional epoxy resin, the trifunctional one exhibited a remarkably increased cross‐linking density from 0.82 to 4.08 × 10^?3 mol/cm³ and T_g from 157 to 228°C. More importantly, prior to curing, they had viscosities of only 240–290 mPa sec at 25°C, which were much lower than that of ERL‐4221 (409 mPa sec), providing the possibility of easy processing. The high glass transition temperatures, good thermal stabilities, and mechanical properties as well as excellent flowability endow the silicon‐containing epoxy resins with promising potential in microelectronic packaging application. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and characterization of oligosalicylaldehyde-based epoxy resins

The synthesis of a new epoxy resin of oligosalicylaldehyde by the reaction with epichlorohydrin is reported. New resin’s epoxy value and chlorine content were determined and found to be 25% and 1%, respectively. The characterization of the new resin was instrumented by FTIR, ¹H NMR, scanning electron microscopy, and thermal gravimetric analyses. TGA results showed that the cured epoxy resin has a good resistance to thermal decomposition. The mass losses of cured epoxy resin were found to be 5%, 10%, 50% at 175°C, 240°C, and 400°C, respectively. On the curing procedure the resin was cured with polyethylenepolyamine at 25 °C for 8 h and 100°C for 1.5 h. The FTIR spectrum of new epoxy resin gave the peak of oxirane ring at ṽ = 918 cm⁻¹. In memory of Professor Dr. Adalet R. Vilayetoğlu     

Thermal Decomposition Kinetics of Triethylene Glycol Dinitrate

Introduction Triethylene glycol dinitrate (TEGDN) is a novel en-ergetic material containing two groups of NO2, which can be used as an energetic plasticizer ingredient in propellants because of its excellent proformance.1 It exhibits lower impact sensitivity, better thermostability, weaker poisonousness and volatility, and stronger effec-tiveness of plasticizing cellulose nitrate than nitroglyc-erine (NG). As a new plasticizer TEGDN has good ap-plication prospects in the near future. The…