Epoxy/poly(benzyl methacrylate) blends: miscibility, phase separation on curing and morphology

Diglycidyl ether of bisfenol-A (DGEBA)/polybenzyl methacrylate (PBzMA) blends cured with 4,4’-diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM) were studied. Miscibility, phase separation, cure kinetics and morphology were investigated through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Non-reactive DGEBA/PBzMA blends are miscible over the whole composition range. The addition of PBzMA to the reactive (DGEBA+DDM) mixture slows down the curing rate, although the reaction mechanism remains autocatalytic. On curing, initially miscible (DGEBA+DDM)/PBzMA blends phase separate, arising two glass transition temperatures that correspond to a PBzMA-rich phase and to epoxy network. Cured epoxy/PBzMA blends present different morphologies as a function of the PBzMA content.     

新型复合环氧光学树脂的制备与性能研究

通过2,2-二巯基乙硫醚(MES)与环氧氯丙烷反应合成了2,2-二巯基二乙硫醚二缩水甘油醚型环氧树脂(DGEMES),通过FTIR和MS对其进行表征;用乙二胺作为固化剂,将DGEMES与双酚A型环氧树脂(DGEBA)复合固化,得到了新型高折射率和低色散的光学树脂.DGEMES是一种较好的共聚单体,可以同时提高共聚树脂的折射率和阿贝数;DGEBA/DGEMES/乙二胺共固化树脂的nd=1.59～1.62,νd=35～39;当DGEMES的质量分数为40%时,固化树脂的折射率达到1.60以上,冲击强度22.5kJ/m₂,且其它性能较均衡.此外,以甲基六氢苯酐(B-650)为固化剂,还合成了具有中等折射率的DGEBA/DGEMES/B-650共固化树脂(nd=1.54～1.56,νd=38～40),并对其光学和机械性能进行了研究.     

热塑性聚醚酰亚胺改性四官能度环氧树脂的相分离研究──固化剂用量的影响

以DSC、TRLS和SEM等方法研究了固化剂DDS用量对苯端基聚醚酰亚胺(P-PEI)改性4,4'-二氨基二苯甲烷四缩水甘油环氧树脂(TGDDM)体系的固化速率及相结构的影响.结果表明,20phrP-PEI改性环氧体系在150℃固化时,随DDS量增加,固化反应速率增大,相分离时间提前,形成了不同的相结构,解释了DDS量对粘接剪切强度的影响.     

Development of co-continuous morphology in epoxy poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) blends cured by mixtures of phase-separating and non-phase-separating curing agents

The morphology of a quaternary blend containing a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA), a thermoplastic modifier (PMMA), a phase-separating curing agent (diaminodiphenylmethane, DDM), and a non-phase-separating curing agent (methylenebis(3-chloro-2,6-diethylaniline, MCDEA) was studied as a function of volume fraction of the thermoplastic modifier and fractional concentration of the curing agents in their mixture. It was found that using mixtures of curing agents a co-continuous morphology could be obtained at PMMA concentrations as low as 2.5 volume percent. Using FTIR spectroscopy it was proved that specific interactions are present between PMMA and individual amine curing agents. On the other hand, there was no detectable specific interaction between PMMA and DGEBA. By analyzing the micro-indentation hardness data of the cryo-fractured samples and putting forward the intrinsic hardness concept, it was proposed that the co-continuous morphology is inherently more effective than the other morphologies in changing the mechanical properties of the above-mentioned multi-component blends.     

Curing behavior and kinetics of epoxy resins cured with liquid crystalline curing agent

This article describes the synthesis of a liquid crystalline curing agent 4,4′-bis-(4-amine-butyloxy)-biphenyl (BABB), and its application as a curing agent for the epoxy resin (DGEBA) in comparison with normal curing agent, 4,4′-diaminobiphenyl (DABP). BABB was investigated with polarized optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and small-angle X-ray scatting, and the results showed that BABB displayed smectic liquid crystalline phase. The curing behaviors of DGEBA cured with BABB and DABP were studied by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM), and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The results indicated that BABB showed a higher chemical reactivity than DABP. The kinetics was studied under isothermal conditions using an isoconversional method, and the isothermal DSC data can be fitted reasonably by an autocatalytic curing model. The nematic droplet texture was observed for the resulting polymer network of DGEBA/BABB system, while the DGEBA/DABP system showed an isotropic state. The storage modulus of DGEBA/BABB system was enhanced in comparison with DGEBA/DABP system because of the formation of LC phase, whereas the glass transition temperatures decreased because of the introduction of flexible spacer group.     

Preparation, thermal properties and flame retardancy of phosphorus- and silicon-containing epoxy resins

Phosphorus- and silicon-containing epoxy resins were prepared from (2,5-dihydroxyphenyl)diphenyl phosphine oxide (Gly-HPO), diglycidyloxy methylphenyl silane (DGMPS) and 1,4-bis(glycidyloxydimethyl silyl)-benzene (BGDMSB) as epoxy monomers and diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM), bis(3-aminophenyl)methyl phosphine oxide (BAMPO) and bis(4-aminophenoxy)dimethyl silane (APDS) as curing agents. Epoxy resins with different phosphorus and silicon content were obtained. Their thermal, dynamic mechanical and flame retardant properties were evaluated. The high LOI values confirmed that epoxy resins containing hetero-atoms are effective flame retardants, but a synergistic efficiency of phosphorus and silicon on flame retardation was not observed.     

Organic/inorganic hybrid epoxy nanocomposites based on octa(aminophenyl)silsesquioxane

Octa(aminophenyl)silsesquioxane (OAPS) was used as the curing agent of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) epoxy resin. A study on comparison of DGEBA/OAPS with DGEBA/4,4′-diaminodiphenyl sulfone (DDS) epoxy resins was achieved. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to investigate the curing reaction and its kinetics, and the glass transition of DGEBA/OAPS. Thermogravimetric analysis was used to investigate thermal decomposition of the two kinds of epoxy resins. The reactions between amino groups and epoxy groups were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe morphology of the two epoxy resins. The results indicated that OAPS had very good compatibility with DGEBA in molecular level, and could form a transparent DGEBA/OAPS resin. The curing reaction of the DGEBA/OAPS prepolymer could occur under low temperatures compared with DGEBA/DDS. The DGEBA/OAPS resin didn’t exhibit glass transition, but the DGEBA/DDS did, which meant that the large cage structure of OAPS limited the motion of chains between the cross-linking points. Measurements of the contact angle indicated that the DGEBA/OAPS showed larger angles with water than the DGEBA/DDS resin. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated that the incorporation of OAPS into epoxy system resulted in low mass loss rate and high char yield, but its initial decomposition temperature seemed to be lowered.     

Curing and thermal behaviour of epoxy resin in the presence of a mixture of imide-amines

The curing behaviour of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) was investigated by the dynamic differential scanning calorimetry using varying molar ratios of aromatic imide-amines and 4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS). The imide-amines were prepared by reacting 1 mole of naphthalene 1,4,5,8-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (N) and 4,4′-oxodiphthalic anhydride (O) with 2.5 moles of 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl ether (E) or 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl methane (M) or 4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone (S) and designated as NE/OE or NM/OM or NS/OS. The mixture of the imide-amines and DDS at ratio of 0:1, 0.25:0.75, 0.5:0.5, 0.75:0.25 and 1:0 were used to investigate the curing behaviour of DGEBA. A single exotherm was observed on curing with mixture of imide-amines and DDS. This clearly shows that the two amines act as co-curing agents. Curing temperatures were higher with imide-amines having sulfone linkage irrespective of anhydride. Curing of DGEBA with mixture of imide-amines and or DDS resulted in a decrease in characteristic curing temperatures. The thermal stability of the isothermally cured resins was also evaluated using dynamic thermogravimetry in a nitrogen atmosphere. The char yield was higher in case of resins cured imide-amines based on N and E. The activation energy of decomposition and integral procedural decomposition temperature were also calculated from the TG data.     

Morphologic and kinetic study of an epoxy-poly(ethyleneoxide) system. The fluorescence to predict miscibility

The kinetic of the curing process in the ethylenediamine (EDA)-poly (bisphenol A-co-epichlorohydrin) glycidyl end-capped (DGEBA) mixture modified with poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) was studied. The epoxy component was labeled with a fluorescence group (dansyl) treating the DGEBA with the reactive dansyl derivative DNS-EDA. Dynamic DSC experiments were carried out and from their results the effect of the PEO composition on the epoxy curing was discussed. Furthermore, the effect of cure temperature and PEO composition on the morphology and crystallinity of the blend were studied as well. The morphologic study was carried out using complementarily optical transmission (TOM) and epifluorescence (EFM) microscopy. It was observed that: i) the addition of a non-reactive thermoplastic leads to a dilution effect of the reactive groups and therefore a decrease of the epoxy amine reaction rate; ii) the PEO composition does not seem to affect the non catalyzed process of the epoxy curing, while an increase in the PEO fraction within the epoxy/PEO mixture seems to change the mechanism of the cure reaction; iii) dynamic DSC scans, TOM and EFM images and steady state fluorescence spectra of the cured samples suggest that when the curing temperature increases there is an increase in the miscibility between PEO and the epoxy-amine reaction mixture; and iv) a reduction in the PEO/cured epoxy miscibility as the fraction of PEO increases was observed.     

Interdiffusion at the interface between poly(vinylpyrrolidone) and epoxy

Electron microprobe analysis (EMP) was used to study interdiffusion in bilayer films of thermoplastic poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) and a thermoset epoxy. The bilayer films were prepared by casting a stoichiometric mixture of the uncured diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A epoxy (DGEBA) and 4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS) on the PVP film and then curing the system in a two-step process under a nitrogen atmosphere. For the EMP studies, the sulfur signal was used as a probe for DDS, while the nitrogen signal served as a probe for both DDS and PVP. The addition of brominated DGEBA to the conventional DGEBA in a 1: 1 weight ratio allowed the bromine signal to be used as a probe for the epoxy phase. It was found that the interfacial thickness was much larger for the film prepared from low molecular weight PVP than that from high molecular weight PVP. Interdiffusion was suppressed when the initial cure temperature in the two-step cure cycle was 130°C compared to 170°C, in which the first stage of the cure reaction dominated the interdiffusion process. More importantly, it was demonstrated that the diffusion front of the curing agent was located closer to the thermoplastic polymer phase as compared to that of the thermoset polymer in the interface region. This tendency was more significant in the system with the larger interfacial thickness. These results have important consequences on interphase structures and properties. They suggest that crosslinking of the epoxy in the interphase may be suppressed because of an insufficient amount of curing agent and that the not-fully-reacted curing agent in the PVP phase may act to plasticize this phase. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Novel urethane/epoxy resin hybrid materials using a moisture‐curing system

Novel curing systems of a urethane/epoxy resin [diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA)] alloy using the moisture‐latent hardener ketimine (K‐systems) were investigated on the DGEBA‐rich side and were compared with aromatic diamine curing systems (A‐systems). Almost all the added DGEBA was separated from the polyurethane matrix and dispersed as 2–10‐μm‐diameter particles after curing in the A‐systems. Therefore, DGEBA did not act as a reinforcing agent for the polyurethane matrix. However, 50% of the added DGEBA was dispersed as particles with a diameter of 1–4 μm, and the other 50% was incorporated into the polyurethane matrix in the novel K‐systems. Therefore, the polyurethane matrix in the K‐systems should be reinforced effectively by both incorporated and finely dispersed DGEBA and should result in significant improvements in the stress–strain properties. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 1137–1144, 2004     

Improvement in fracture behaviors of epoxy resins toughened with sulfonated poly(ether sulfone)

The sulfonated poly(ether sulfone) (SPES) was successfully prepared using chlorosulfonic acid as a sulfonating agent. Diglycidylether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) epoxy resins were modified with different contents of SPES, and the thermal and mechanical interfacial properties of DGEBA/SPES blends were investigated. As a result, the surface free energy of the blends was increased by the addition of SPES. DSC measurements revealed that the curing reaction was delayed with the increase of SPES content. Whereas, the thermal stabilities of the blends were slightly decreased as the SPES content increased. Meanwhile, the glass transition temperature and fracture toughness of the blends were increased with increasing SPES content, due to the improved intermolecular interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, between the hydroxyl group of DGEBA and the sulfonic group of SPES in the blends. The agreement could be observed by SEM which revealed phase separated morphology of DGEBA/SPES blends.     

Flame‐retardant epoxy resins with high glass‐transition temperatures. II. Using a novel hexafunctional curing agent: 9,10‐dihydro‐9‐oxa‐10‐phosphaphenanthrene 10‐yl‐tris(4‐aminophenyl) methane

We synthesized a novel phosphorus‐containing triamine [9,10‐dihydro‐9‐oxa‐10‐phosphaphenanthrene 10‐yl‐tris(4‐aminophenyl) methane (dopo‐ta)] from the nucleophilic addition of 9,10‐dihydro‐9‐oxa‐10‐phosphaphenanthrene 10‐oxide and pararosaniline chloride, using triethylamine as an acid receiver. We confirmed the structure of dopo‐ta by IR, mass, and NMR spectra and elemental analysis. dopo‐ta served as a curing agent for diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and dicyclopentadiene epoxy (hp7200). Properties such as the glass‐transition temperature (T_g), thermal decomposition temperature, flame retardancy, moisture absorption, and dielectric properties of the cured epoxy resins were evaluated. The T_g's of cured DGEBA/dopo‐ta and hp7200/dopo‐ta were 171 and 190 °C, respectively. This high T_g phenomenon is rarely seen in the literature after the introduction of a flame‐retardant element. The flame retardancy increased with the phosphorus content, and a UL‐94 V‐0 grade was achieved with a phosphorus content of 1.80 wt % for DGEBA/dopo‐ta/diamino diphenylmethane (DDM) systems and 1.46 wt % for hp7200/dopo‐ta/DDM systems. The dielectric constants for DGEBA/dopo‐ta and hp7200/dopo‐ta were 2.91 and 2.82, respectively, implying that the dopo‐ta curing systems exhibited low dielectric properties. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 43: 5971–5986, 2005     

Curing kinetics and thermal stability of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol

Curing kinetics of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) in the presence of varying molar ratios of aromatic imide-amines and 4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS) were investigated by the dynamic differential scanning calorimetry. The imide-amines were prepared by reacting 1 mole of benzophenone 3,3′,4,4′-tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (B) with 2.5 moles of 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl ether (E)/ or 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl methane (M)/ or 4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone (S) and designated as BE/ or BM/ or BS. The mixture of imide-amines and DDS at ratio of 0:1, 0.25:0.75, 0.5:0.5, 0.75:0.25 and 1:0 were used to investigate the curing behaviour of DGEBA. The multiple heating rate method (5, 10, 15 and 20°C min⁻¹) was used to study the curing kinetics of epoxy resins. The peak exotherm temperature was found to be dependent on the heating rate, structure of imide-amines as well as on the ratio of imide-amine: DDS used. A broad exotherm was observed in the temperature range of 180–230°C on curing with mixture of imide-amines and DDS. Curing of DGEBA with mixture of imide-amines and/or DDS resulted in a decrease in characteristic curing temperatures. Activation energy of curing reaction as determined in accordance to the Ozawa’s method was found to be dependent on the structure of amine. The thermal stability of the isothermally cured resins was also evaluated using dynamic thermogravimetry in a nitrogen atmosphere. The char yield was highest in case of resins cured using mixture of DDS: BS (0.25:0.75; EBS-3), DDS: BM (0.5: 0.5; EBM-2) and DDS: BE (0.5: 0.5; EBE-2).     

Theoretical Modeling of the Phase Separation Dynamics in Blends of Reactive Monomers

Summary: Experimental observations of the dynamics of phase behavior for blends of reactive constituents, i.e. diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), curing agent methylene dianiline (MDA), and a reactive liquid rubber (R45EPI), have been theoretically modeled by coupling system thermodynamics governed by a summation of the free energies of mixing and network elasticity with reaction kinetics and diffusion equations. Snap‐shots of the temporal evolution of ternary phase diagrams have been established based on the self‐condensation reactions of DGEBA‐MDA and R45EPI as well as a cross‐reaction between the two constituents forming a copolymer. Numerical solution of the proposed mean‐field model provides good qualitative agreement with experimental results, namely, the observance of phase separation followed by a phase dissolution and subsequent secondary segregation in a 50/25.4/50 DGEBA/MDA/R45EPI mixture, as well as a single gradual phase separation in a 70/25.4/30 mixture. The phase separation dynamics are explained by a competition between the growth in molecular weights of the reactive species rendering the systems towards instability, and the formation of copolymer acting to compatibilize the mixtures.

Theoretical phase diagram for a DGEBA/MDA/R45EPI system.     

环氧树脂/氧化石墨纳米复合物的等温固化行为研究

用示差扫描分析仪(DSC)研究了氧化石墨(GO)对N,N,N',N'-四缩水甘油基-4,4'-二氨基二苯基甲烷环氧树脂(TGDDM)/4,4'-二氨基二苯基砜(DDS)体系的等温固化反应的影响,用X射线光电子能谱仪(XPS)和傅里叶变换红外光谱仪(FTIR)研究了GO上存在的官能团及其对TGDDM/DDS体系固化行为的影响,用热失重分析仪(TGA)研究了天然石墨和GO的热力学稳定性.XPS、FTIR和TGA结果表明,GO上存在的大量羟基、羧基、环氧基等官能团能够影响环氧树脂的固化行为.DSC研究发现,环氧树脂/氧化石墨纳米复合物的固化反应属于自催化类型,随着GO含量的增加,达到最大反应速率的时间不断减小,初始反应速率不断增大,这说明GO对环氧树脂的固化反应有促进作用.Kamal模型计算得到的结果表明,随着GO含量的增加自催化反应初期阶段表观活化能E1先减小再增大,而自催化反应结束后表观活化能E2略微减小.经Kamal模型扩散控制函数修正后,整个固化过程中拟合得到的结果与实验数据相当吻合.以上结果说明,少量的GO对TGDDM/DDS体系的固化反应起着催化作用.     

Study on the chemical modification of epoxy/anhydride thermosets using a hydroxyl terminated hyperbranched polymer

Mixtures of diglycidylether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) resin and commercially available hyperbranched polyester (HBP) Boltorn H30 were cured by anhydride to covalently bond the hydroxyl end groups in HBP with the epoxy resin. The curing mixtures were investigated by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) to study the curing evolution and to evaluate the kinetic parameters. DSC studies suggested that HBP could increase the curing rate of epoxy/anhydride systems at low conversions, but it produced a decelerative effect in the last stages of the curing. The influence of the HBP content and the proportion of anhydride on the curing conversions were discussed in detail. The addition of a tertiary amine was proved to decrease the curing temperatures. By Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) the reaction of hydroxyl groups during the whole process was confirmed. By the determination of the conversion at the gelation, we could prove that it increased on increasing the proportion of HBP in the reactive mixture. By Thermomechanical Analysis (TMA) we could determine a reduction of the shrinkage after gelation.     

Cold crystallization and multiple melting behavior of poly(l-lactide) in homogeneous and in multiphasic epoxy blends

Cold crystallization and melting of poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) blended with an uncured or with an amino-cured epoxy resin (diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A [DGEBA]) were investigated. It was found that the uncured PLLA/DGEBA blends were miscible, as they exhibited a single composition-dependent glass transition temperature (T _g). Melting point depression measurements indicated the existence of some type of interaction between the blend components, which was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Depending on the crystallization conditions and on the blend composition, a mixture of α and α′ crystals have been detected in PLLA and in uncured DGEBA/PLLA blends when crystallized from the glassy state. At high DGEBA contents, preferably imperfect α crystals are formed. On the contrary, at low DGEBA contents, the α′ form predominates and an exotherm associated to the α′–α transformation appears on the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) scan before the main melting peak. Upon curing, the system transforms from a homogeneous mixture with a single refractive index into an opaque multiphasic one, as revealed by the existence of two T _gs in the DSC scans. These cross-linked immiscible blends displayed a single crystallization exotherm which scarcely changed with composition, and PLLA cold crystallized mainly into the α′ form from an almost pure PLLA phase; subsequently, the α′ crystals transform into the α form just before melting during the DSC scan.     

Thermoset modified with polyethersulfone: Characterization and control of the morphology

Thermoset (TS) epoxy resins can be toughened with a thermoplastic (TP) for high-performance applications. The final structure morphology has to be controlled to achieve high mechanical properties and high impact resistance. Four polyethersulfone-modified epoxy resins are considered. They consist of different epoxy monomer structure (TGAP, triglycidyl-p-aminophenol and TGDDM, tetraglycidyl diaminodiphenylmethane) and a fixed amount of thermoplastic, and they are cured with two different amounts of curing agent. A reaction-induced phase separation occurs for all formulations generating morphologies, different in shapes and scales. The aim is to control the final morphology and in particular its dominant length scale. This morphology depends on the phase separation process, from the initiation to its final stage. The initiation relies on the relative miscibility of the components and on the stoichiometry between epoxy and curing agent. The kinetics depends on the viscosity of the systems. The different morphologies are characterized by electron microscopy or neutron scattering. Dynamic mechanical analysis allows confirming the presence of a phase separation even when it is not observable by electron microscopy. Vermicular morphologies with few hundreds nanometer width are obtained for the systems containing the TGAP as epoxy monomer. Systems formulated with TGDDM presents morphologies on much smaller scale of order a few tens of nanometers. We interpret the different sizes of the morphologies as a consequence of a larger viscosity for the TGDDM systems as compared to the TGAP ones rather than by a latter initiation of phase separation.     

Novel phthalazinone‐bearing tetrafunctional epoxy: Synthesis,characterization, and their toughening application for TGDDM system

A novel tetrafunctional epoxy (TEPZ) was synthesized by “one spot two steps” method, and the effects of solvents, reaction temperature, and mole ratios of reactants on the reaction conversion were systematically investigated. The results demonstrated that the solvents participating in the reaction were the most crucial factor for high conversions. After curing, TEPZ/4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl sulfone (DDS) system exhibited better thermal stability compared with famous N,N,N′,N′‐tetraglycidyl‐4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl methane (TGDDM)/DDS analog. When TEPZ is blended with TGDDM/DDS, the initial decomposition temperature of TGDDM/TEPZ/DDS hybrid elevated from 348°C to 362°C. The storage modulus and the glass transition temperature were sensitive to curing procedure and concentration of DDS. While the system consisted of 100 phr TGDDM, 30 phr TEPZ, and 40 phr DDS, the storage modulus and glass transition temperature increased significantly compared with those of TGDDM/DDS, and the impact strength increased by 31.6% simultaneously. Such enhancement could be ascribed to the structural feature of phthalazinone in TEPZ, which formed stable interpenetrating networks during thermal cure procedure.