Thermal degradation of a reactive flame retardant based on cyclotriphosphazene and its blend with DGEBA epoxy resin

Hexaglycidyl cyclotriphosphazene (HGCP) was synthesized, and characterized by FTIR, ³¹P, ¹H, and ¹³C-NMR. This compound was used as a reactive flame retardant to blend with commercial epoxy resin DGEBA (Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A). Its effect on the DGEBA decomposition pathways was characterized by studying both gas and solid phases produced during thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The gases evolved during TGA in air were studied by means of thermogravimetry coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TG–FTIR), while the solid residues were analysed by FTIR and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that HGCP presents a good dispersion in DGEBA, and the blend thermoset with 4,4′-methylene-dianiline (MDA) curing agent leads to a significant improvement of the thermal stability at elevated temperature with higher char yields compared with pure DGEBA thermoset with the same curing agent. Improvement has also been observed in the fire behaviour of blend sample.     

Curing kinetics of liquid-crystalline epoxy resins

By endcapping mesogenic rigid rod molecules with reactive epoxy groups a novel class of liquid-crystalline thermoset has been obtained. In fact is has been shown that the nematic molecular arrangement is sustained over the crosslinking reaction of liquid-crystalline epoxy resins when the curing reaction is carried out in the thermal stability range of the liquid-crystalline phase. Calorimetric analysis was used in characterizing the isothermal cure. An unsophisticated model is proposed for evaluating the activation energies of the crosslinking reaction. For liquid-crystalline epoxy resins lower activation energies result with respect to the cure reactions for non liquid-crystalline epoxy resins.     

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.     

Curing kinetics of o-cresol formaldehyde epoxy resin and succinic anhydride system catalyzed by tertiary amine

The kinetics of the cure reaction for system of o-cresol formaldehyde epoxy resin (o-CFER)/succinic anhydride (SA) and tertiary amine as a catalyst was investigated with a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Autocatalytic behavior was shown in the first stages of the cure for the system, which was well described by the model proposed by Kamal that includes two rate constants, k1 and k2, and two reaction orders, m and n. The overall reaction order, m + n, is in the range 2.1-2.6, and the activation energy for k1 and k2 was 109 and 72.0 kJ/mol, respectively. In the later stages, a cross-linked network was formed and the cure reaction is mainly controlled by diffusion. Diffusion factor, f(alpha), was introduced into Kamal's equation, then the calculated values agree very well with the experimental data. The molecular mechanism of this curing reaction was discussed.     

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.     

Synthesis and properties of phosphorus-containing bio-based epoxy resin from itaconic acid

A phosphorus-containing bio-based epoxy resin (EADI) was synthesized from itaconic acid (IA) and 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene 10-oxide (DOPO). As a matrix, its cured epoxy network with methyl hexahydrophthalic anhydride (MHHPA) as the curing agent showed comparable glass-transition temperature and mechanical properties to diglycidyl ether in a bisphenol A (DGEBA) system as well as good flame retardancy with UL94 V-0 grade during a vertical burning test. As a reactive flame retardant, its flame-resistant effect on DGEBA/MHHPA system as well as its influence on the curing behavior and the thermal and mechanical properties of the modified epoxy resin were investigated. Results showed that after the introduction of EADI, not only were the flame retardancy determined by vertical burning test, LOI measurement, and thermogravimetric analysis significantly improved, but also the curing reactivity, glass transition temperature (T _g), initial degradation temperature for 5% weight loss (T _d(5%)), and flexural modulus of the cured system improved as well. EADI has great potential to be used as a green flame retardant in epoxy resin systems.     

Thermal degradation and evolved gas analysis: A polymeric blend of urea formaldehyde (UF) and epoxy (DGEBA) resin

A polymeric blend has been prepared using urea formaldehyde (UF) and epoxy (DGEBA) resin in 1:1 mass ratio. The thermal degradation of UF/epoxy resin blend (UFE) was investigated by using thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), coupled with FTIR and MS. The results of TGA revealed that the pyrolysis process can be divided into three stages: drying process, fast thermal decomposition and cracking of the sample. There were no solid products except ash content for UFE during combustion at high temperature. The total mass loss during pyrolysis at 775 °C is found to be 97.32%, while 54.14% of the original mass was lost in the second stage between 225 °C and 400 °C. It is observed that the activation energy of the second stage degradation during combustion (6.23 × 10⁻⁴ J mol⁻¹) is more than that of pyrolysis (5.89 × 10⁻⁴ J mol⁻¹). The emissions of CO₂, CO, H₂O, HCN, HNCO, and NH₃ are identified during thermal degradation of UFE.     

Investigation of local order in unreacted DGEBA epoxy resin monomers by light scattering

The existence of local order in two epoxy resins of the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) type has been investigated using Rayleigh scattering and Brillouin spectroscopy. The resins differ in their molecular weight distributions and their relative concentrations of epoxide and hydroxyl groups. The complementary use of both techniques in elucidating the thermal behavior of local order is illustrated, and the use of the latter technique to study thermal acoustic phonons and hypersonic relaxation is discussed. Both techniques independently show that molecular aggregates exist in each resin system. The scattering-envelope dissymmetry shows that the resin with the high epoxide/hydroxyl group ratio contains aggregates up to 20 nm in size, and the low-ratio resin exhibits sizes up to 70 nm. These aggregates are thermally unstable in the temperature range studied (293–443 K). Dissolution in chloroform shows that these aggregates are reduced in size and that further structural changes occur which are dependent on solvent concentration. Aggregate volume fractions were determined for a range of aggregate size. Brillouin spectroscopy indicated that both resins exhibit hypersonic relaxation in the temperature range studied. The complex longitudinal moduli of the resins were superimposable under a WLF temperature transformation comparable to the difference in their static glass transition temperatures. Molecular aggregate size, number, and stability are related to the epoxide/hydroxyl ratio of the resins and the degree of intermolecular hydrogen bonding.     

Cure kinetics 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.     

Curing studies of epoxy resin with nadic endcapped phosphorylated amines

Polyimides have aromatic moieties in the backbone structure which are responsible for their increased thermal stability. If phosphorus is introduced in the main chain structure of polyimides, there is further improvement in the thermal stability. This has been proved by the work carried out in our group. The polyimide having amine termination can be used for crosslinking of epoxy resins.In the present study amine terminated phosphorus containing nadicimide were taken as curing agent for DGEBA resins. The curing characteristics of DGEBA resin were studied by DSC using different amounts of nadic endcapped phosphorylated amines. DSC thermogram showed the heat of polymerization was lower as compared to system cured with aromatic amines.     

Curing characteristics of o-cresol novolac epoxy resin modified by bismaleimide

Curing characteristics of o-cresol novolac epoxy resin modified by 4,4-diaminodiphenylmethane bismaleimide (DDM-BMI) using FTIR were investigated and the glass transition temperature was measured. With the addition of DDM as hardener, the relative curing reaction conversion of DDM-BMI increased with equivalent weight ratio [R₁ = (equiv wt summation of epoxy and DDM-BMI)/equiv wt of DDM] and weight ratio of epoxy and DDM-BMI (R₂ = wt of epoxy resin/wt of DDM-BMI). Using phenol novolac resin (PN) as hardener, the curing reaction conversion of DDM-BMI was hardly changed, but the variation of that in the epoxy resin was observed with R₂ change. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Isothermal cure kinetics of epoxy/phenol‐novolac resin blend system initiated by cationic latent thermal catalyst

The investigation of the cure kinetics of a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA)/phenol‐novolac blend system with different phenolic contents initiated by a cationic latent thermal catalyst [N‐benzylpyrazinium hexafluoroantimonate (BPH)] was performed by means of the analysis of isothermal experiments using a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Latent properties were investigated by measuring the conversion as a function of curing temperature using a dynamic DSC method. The results indicated that the BPH in this system for cure is a significant thermal latent initiator and has good latent thermal properties. The cure reaction of the blend system using BPH as a curing agent was strongly dependent on the cure temperature and proceeded through an autocatalytic kinetic mechanism that was accelerated by the hydroxyl group produced through the reaction between DGEBA and BPH. At a specific conversion region, once vitrification took place, the cure reaction of the epoxy/phenol‐novolac/BPH blend system was controlled by a diffusion‐control cure reaction rather than by an autocatalytic reaction. The kinetic constants k₁ and k₂ and the cure activation energies E₁ and E₂ obtained by the Arrhenius temperature dependence equation of the epoxy/phenol‐novolac/BPH blend system were mainly discussed as increasing the content of the phenol‐novolac resin to the epoxy neat resin. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 38: 2945–2956, 2000     

Curing reaction of o-cresol novolac epoxy resin according to hardener change

The investigations of cure kinetics and glass transition temperature (T_g) versus reaction conversion (α) of o-cresol novolac epoxy resin with the change of hardener were performed. All kinetic parameters of the curing reaction such as the reaction rate order, activation energy, and frequency factor were calculated. The curing mechanisms were classified into two types. One was an autocatalytic mechanism and the other was a nth order kinetic mechanism. The constants related to the chain mobility of polymer segments were obtained by using the DiBenedetto equation. We have tried to correlate the relationships between curing mechanism and molecular structures of hardeners from these results. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Curing reaction of biphenyl epoxy resin with different phenolic functional hardeners

The investigation of cure kinetics and relationships between glass transition temperature and conversion of biphenyl epoxy resin (4,4′-diglycidyloxy-3,3′,5,5′-tetramethyl biphenyl) with different phenolic hardeners was performed by differential scanning calorimeter using an isothermal approach over the temperature range 120–150°C. All kinetic parameters of the curing reaction including the reaction order, activation energy, and rate constant were calculated and reported. The results indicate that the curing reaction of formulations using xylok and dicyclopentadiene type phenolic resins (DCPDP) as hardeners proceeds through a first-order kinetic mechanism, whereas the curing reaction of formulations using phenol novolac as a hardener goes through an autocatalytic kinetic mechanism. The differences of curing reaction with the change of hardener in biphenyl epoxy resin systems were explained with the relationships between T_g and reaction conversion using the DiBenedetto equation. A detailed cure mechanism in biphenyl-type epoxy resin with the different hardeners has been suggested. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 36: 773–783, 1998     

Photopolymerization kinetics of an epoxy based resin for stereolithography

Curing reactions of photoactivated epoxy resins are assuming an increasing relevance in many industrial processes, such as coatings, printing, adhesives. Besides these processes, stereolithography makes use of photoactivated resins in a laser induced polymerization for 3D building. The kinetic behaviour of photocuring is a key point for a full comprehension of the cure conditions occurring in the small zone irradiated by the laser beam. Furthermore, the kinetic analysis is very important in order to determine the cure time needed for part building in a stereolithographic equipment. The mechanisms involved in a cationic photopolymerization are complex when compared with radical photopolymerization. In this paper the photoinitiated polymerization of a commercially available epoxy based resin for stereolitography has been studied by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The polymerization rate and the amount of unreacted monomer are determined directly from the conversion vs. time curves during DSC isothermal scans. Kinetic characterization of epoxy photopolymerization has been carried out as a function of the temperature and experimental results have been compared with an original mathematical model. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Curing kinetics of epoxy resins with hyperbranched polyesters as toughening agents

The effects of hyperbranched polyesters on the cure kinetics of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) in the presence of m‐phenylene diamine were investigated with nonisothermal differential scanning calorimetry. The results showed that the addition of hyperbranched polyesters enhanced the cure reaction of DGEBA with m‐phenylene diamine, and this resulted in a reduction of the peak temperature of the curing curve and the activation energy because of the low viscosity and large number of terminal hydroxyl groups. However, when linear poly(ethylene glycol) was added, the activation energy of the blends also slightly decreased, whereas the peak temperature of the curing curve increased. The curing kinetics of the blends were calculated by the isoconversional method of Málek. The two‐parameter autocatalytic model (i.e., the ?esták–Berggren equation) was found to be the most adequate for describing the cure kinetics of the studied systems. The obtained nonisothermal differential scanning calorimetry curves showed results in agreement with those theoretically calculated. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2649–2656, 2004     

Curing of neat ED-20 epoxy resin and of its aqueous emulsions

The behavior of neat ED-20 epoxy resin and of its aqueous emulsions in the course of heating in the temperature interval 20–500°С in the presence of cross-linking agents of different structures (NC-558, polyethylenepolyamine, Telalit 180, Epilink 701) was studied. The water absorption, hardness, and microstructure of coatings prepared from these epoxy systems were examined.     

Global kinetics of thermal degradation of flame-retarded epoxy resin formulations

A predictive mathematical model to describe mass loss profiles of flame-retardant (FR) containing epoxy resin formulations is proposed. Mass loss is due to thermal degradation of the constituent components and can be described by a generic kinetic scheme with a given set of thermokinetic constants in the form of ordinary differential equations. The scope of this work is to determine the kinetic parameters of the thermal degradation of a known flame-retarded epoxy resin composition by using thermogravimetric analysis and using the acquired data to predict the degradation profiles for other formulations. The mass loss profiles of Visil and intumescent epoxy resin containing formulations were predicted by solving coupled systems of ordinary differential equations and then using Powell minimisation to find the optimal Arrhenius parameters, taking into account the mass ratio of the components in the mixture. The calculated kinetic constants for one formulation (85% resin-15% FR additives) are used to predict the mass loss profiles for other formulations (80% resin-20% FR additives and 90% resin-10% FR additives) with the assumption that the degradation mechanism does not change. The predicted thermal degradation profiles are compared with experimental data acquired using standard laboratory equipment in order to validate the proposed mechanisms. The kinetic parameters obtained adequately describe mass loss history of composite materials studied, even when extremely simplified kinetic schemes have been used.