Influence of the Curing Temperature in the Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Nanosilica Filled Epoxy Resin Coating

0.5–3 wt% nanosilica was added to an epoxy resin based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and cured at 25, 40 or 60 °C using isophoronediamine (IPDA) as hardener. Aggregates of nanosilica were properly dispersed into the DGEBA-IPDA resin and agglomerates formation was avoided. Addition of nanosilica increased the storage modulus E′ and the area and height of the tan δ curve of DGEBA-IPDA resin cured at 25 °C, but no significant differences were found by curing at higher temperature. Gel time measurements and the results obtained by applying the Kamal model to isotherm DSC curing of DGEBA-IPDA-nanosilica revealed that nanosilica catalysed the curing reaction between DGEBA and IPDA, in less extent by increasing the curing temperature.     

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     

Effect of Non-Woven Carbon Nanofiber Mat Presence on Cure Kinetics of Epoxy Nanocomposites

Summary : An investigation was carried out into the cure kinetics of carbon nanofiber (CNF) mat-epoxy nanocomposites, composed of bisphenol-A based epoxy resin and diethylene triamine as a curing agent. It was observed that the rate of cure reaction for CNF mat-epoxy nanocomposites was higher than that for neat epoxy resin at low curing temperatures and the presence of the CNF mat produced the maximum influence at a certain curing temperature and time. At high curing temperature and long curing times, the effect of CNF mat on the cure rate was insignificant. The CNF mat-epoxy composite exhibited somewhat lower value of activation energy than that of the neat epoxy system at the beginning of the curing stage. The weight fraction of CNF mat also affected the cure reaction of epoxy nanocomposites at the same curing temperature. As the amount of CNF mat increased, the cure rate was higher at the same cure time. However, at high CNF mat loading, the cure reaction was retarded since the amount of epoxy and hardener decreased dramatically at high CNF contents together with the hindering effect of the CNF mat on the diffusion of epoxy resin and the curing agent, leading to lower crosslinking efficiency. Although the curing efficiency of epoxy nanocomposites dropped at high CNF mat content, the glass transition temperature (T_g) was still high due to the ultra-high strength of the CNF mat. The cure kinetics of CNF mat-epoxy nanocomposites was in good agreement with Kamal's model.     

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.     

Synthesis and characterization of liquid‐crystalline epoxy and its blend with conventional epoxy

Terephthaloyl chloride was reacted with 4‐hydroxy benzoic acid to get terephthaloylbis(4‐oxybenzoic) acid, which was characterized and further reacted with epoxy resin [diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA)] to get a liquid‐crystalline epoxy resin (LCEP). This LCEP was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and polarized optical microscopy (POM). LCEP was then blended in various compositions with DGEBA and cured with a room temperature curing hardener. The cured blends were characterized by DSC and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) for their thermal and viscoelastic properties. The cured blends exhibited higher storage moduli and lower glass‐transition temperatures (tan δ_max, from DMA) as compared with that of the pure DGEBA network. The formation of a smectic liquid‐crystalline phase was observed by POM during the curing of LCEP and DGEBA/LCEP blends. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3375–3383, 2003     

2-乙基-4-甲基咪唑固化环氧树脂体系动力学模型

由2-乙基-4-甲基咪唑(2,4-EMI)固化双酚A二缩水甘油醚型环氧树脂(DGEBA)的等温差示扫描量热(DSC)实验结果发现固化反应分两阶段进行,催化聚合反应有一诱导期.由DSC测试结果求得催化聚合反应的速率常数.从反应机理出发,以诱导期为边界,建立两阶段的微观固化动力学模型.从扩散的角度在模型中引入临界固化度(αc)和扩散因子,进一步建立扩散控制固化动力学模型,对不同2,4-EMI含量和固化温度(Tc)的体系,计算得到αc.研究发现扩散因素对固化动力学影响较大,固化反应前期由化学动力学控制,后期由扩散因素控制;αc主要由体系的玻璃化转变决定,Tc越高,体系玻璃化转变时对应的固化度越大,cα越大.     

Kinetic studies of the polymerization of an epoxy resin modified with rhodamine B

Novel fluorescent materials were satisfactorily synthesized. With this aim, an epoxy resin based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) was reacted with a laser dye, rhodamine B (RB), to achieve an epoxy-based prepolymer. Then, a diamine, m-xylylenediamine (MXDA), was used as hardener with the purpose of obtaining a crosslinked polymer. The curing conditions strongly influence the intended final properties and the optimization of the curing requires a reliable kinetic model. For that reason, this work presents the kinetic study of the polymerization of the epoxy resin by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in isothermal mode as well as by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). DSC data were fitted using a Kamal autocatalytic equation. Conversion as a function of reaction time curves obtained by means of both techniques agreed well. In addition, the synthesized epoxy-based materials were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H NMR) and their fluorescent properties were also analysed.     

Effect of a hyperbranched polymer over the thermal curing and the photocuring of an epoxy resin

In this study, the authors study by calorimetry the influence of hyperbranched polyester Boltron^®H40 on the thermal curing and the photocuring of a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol epoxy resin (DGEBA) using ytterbium (III) trifluoromethanesulfonate and triarylsulfonium hexafluorantimonate as thermal and photo cationic initiators, respectively. In the dynamic thermal curing at different heating rates, the authors have seen a decelerating effect when H40 is added to DGEBA, the system with 10% of H40 being the slowest. An isoconversional method has been used to determine the apparent activation energy of the thermal curing. In the isothermal photocuring at low temperatures, the authors have also appreciated a decelerating effect on adding H40, obtaining a minimum conversion when the H40 proportion is 15%. However, at high temperatures, the photocuring process can be accelerated at the first part of this process. This behavior is a consequence of the temperature dependence of H40 solubility in DGEBA, the viscosity of the system, and the hydroxyl-induced chain-transfer reaction. The values found of the maximum glass transition temperature in the thermal curing and in the photocuring, show that H40 is not completely solubilized in the reacted system.     

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.     

Lanthanide–imidazole complexes as latent curing agents for epoxy resins

Imidazoles have for some time been recognized as curing agents for epoxy resins. Once the resin and the imidazole compound are mixed there is a relatively short time in which the mixture can be used, since the polymerization (curing) reaction occurs to some extent even at room temperature causing the reaction mixture to thicken. In order to circumvent this problem we have found that imidazoles can be complexed with organo-lanthanide compounds thereby tying up the imidazole and retarding its rate of reaction in the cure of epoxy materials at ambient temperatures. When it is desired to enhance the rate of cure the temperature of the mixture is simply raised. This paper concerns studies of the epoxy cure reaction with the M(THD)₃–IM series. M represents the lanthanide metals Eu, Ho, Pr, Dy, Yb, and Gd, and THD is 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedione. Cure reactions were followed by differential scanning calorimetry and in some cases by infrared spectroscopy. We have demonstrated that these organo-lanthanide–imidazole complexes are effective thermally latent curing agents for epoxy resins. At a temperature of 150°C cure is quite rapid. In the course of these studies it has also been determined that there is an inverse correlation between the lanthanide ionic radius in the complex and the temperature at which the cure reaction occurs. Thus the Yb compound, where the imidazole is most strongly bound, cures at the highest temperature and Pr, where imidazole is bound most weakly, at the lowest. Consistent with these facts is the observation that the Yb compound also gives the longest latency period when mixed with epoxy resin.     

Novel,environmentally friendly crosslinking system of an epoxy using an amino acid: Tryptophan‐cured diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A epoxy

Tryptophan, an amino acid, has been used as a novel, environmentally friendly curing agent instead of toxic curing agents to crosslink the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy resin. The curing reaction of tryptophan/DGEBA mixtures of different ratios and the effect of the imidazole catalyst on the reaction have been evaluated. The optimum reaction ratio of DGEBA to tryptophan has been determined to be 3:1 with 1 wt % catalyst, and the curing mechanism of the novel reaction system has been studied and elucidated. In situ Fourier transform infrared spectra indicate that with the extraction of a hydrogen from NH₃⁺ in zwitterions from tryptophan, the formed nucleophilic primary amine and carboxylate anions of the tryptophan can readily participate in the ring‐opening reaction with epoxy. The secondary amine, formed from the primary amine, can further participate in the ring‐opening reaction with epoxy and form the crosslinked network. The crosslinked structure exhibits a reasonably high glass‐transition temperature and thermal stability. A catalyst‐initiated chain reaction mechanism is proposed for the curing reaction of the epoxy with zwitterion amino acid hardeners. The replacement of toxic curing agents with this novel, environmentally friendly curing agent is an important step toward a next‐generation green electronics industry. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 181–190, 2007     

Synthesis and curing of amino‐containing benzoxazine as a novel hardener for diglycidyl ether of bisphenol‐A

Benzoxazines containing various additional functional groups have been extensively reported to improve the properties of polybenzoxazines. In this work, a novel amino‐containing benzoxazine (PDETDA‐NH₂) was conveniently synthesized from diethyltoluenediamine (DETDA), 2‐hydroxybenzaldehyde, and paraformaldehyde and was used as a hardener for diglycidyl ether of bisphenol‐A (DGEBA). The curing behaviors of PDETDA‐NH₂ and PDETDA‐NH₂/DGEBA systems were studied by DSC, FT‐IR, and ¹H NMR. When curing, PDETDA‐NH₂ was firstly polymerized to N,O‐acetal‐type polymer and then rearranged to Mannich‐type polymer at elevated temperature, while the addition reaction between amino and benzoxazine was discouraged because of the steric hindrance of alkyl substituents. During PDETDA‐NH₂/DGEBA curing, it was found that the reactions happened in the order of addition polymerization of amino and epoxide, ring‐opening polymerization of benzoxazine, etherification between phenolic hydroxyl of the polymerized benzoxazine, and epoxide. Compared with DETDA cured DGEBA, PDETDA‐NH₂ cured DGEBA showed higher modulus, higher char yield, and much lower water uptake.     

Encapsulants for light‐emitting diodes from visible light‐cured epoxy monomers

During the last decade, light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) have replaced incandescent, fluorescent, and neon lamps due to their ability to produce high luminosity at low currents and voltages. LEDs are currently encapsulated by thermally curable epoxy resins. However, long periods of curing at high temperature result in high consumption of energy and require stringent process control to avoid failure of the devices. In addition, the thermal cure results in yellowing of the encapsulant, which decreases the efficiency of the LED. In recent years, photoinitiated polymerization has received much interest as it congregates a wide range of economic and ecological benefits. Cationic photoinitiators, such as diaryliodonium salts, generate Brønsted acid in situ, which initiates polymerization. The process can be triggered on demand by irradiating the mixture with light. Results from the present research reveal that cycloaliphatic epoxy monomers, photoactivated with an iodonium salt and Camphorquinone, polymerize readily under visible light irradiation (470 nm) in the absence of external heating. The partial replacement of cycloaliphatic epoxy with aromatic diglycidyl ether of bisphenol‐A (DGEBA) is an effective means of improving the refractive index of the material and consequently the efficiency of the photoemission. Visible light polymerization of DGEBA pure proceeds at a slow rate; however, it is enhanced by the increase in temperature during the polymerization of the highly reactive cycloaliphatic monomer. From results obtained in the present research, it may be concluded that visible light polymerization of epoxy monomers is a promising route for the processing of LED encapsulants. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

几种聚醚胺改性蒙脱土对环氧树脂固化过程的影响

首先制备了五种聚醚胺改性蒙脱土(MMT), 并将这五种聚醚胺改性蒙脱土加入到双酚A 型环氧树脂E51 和聚醚胺D400体系中, 采用差示扫描量热法(DSC)考察了五种聚醚胺改性MMT对环氧树脂升温固化进程的影响. 随后, 优选一种EP/MMT 混合体系即EP/D400-T500-MMT 混合体系, 系统地研究了该体系与纯环氧树脂体系在130, 140, 150 及160 ℃等几个温度下的等温固化过程, 考察了等温固化时间对固化度和固化度变化速率的影响以及固化度与固化度变化速率之间的关系, 并利用Kamal 模型进行拟合计算了固化动力学参数. 研究结果表明, 与纯环氧树脂相比, 几种聚醚胺改性MMT 的固化放热峰均向高温迁移, 同时聚醚胺D400 协同插层MMT 降低了高分子量聚醚胺插层MMT 所导致的环氧树脂DSC 曲线的畸变情况; EP/D400-T500-MMT 混合体系和纯环氧体系的等温固化反应过程符合Kamal 模型;在相同的固化温度下, EP/D400-T5000-MMT 混合体系的反应速率常数k₁ 和k₂ 值以及反应级数m 均比纯EP 体系小, 而反应级数n 以及总反应级数m+n 值比纯EP 体系大, 表明两种聚醚胺协同插层的改性蒙脱土D400-T5000-MMT 的加入降低了环氧体系固化反应速率. 另外, EP/D400-T5000-MMT 混合体系的活化能E_a1 和E_a2 与纯EP 体系的相比也略有升高.     

Evaluation of furfurylamines as curing agents for epoxy resins

Epoxy resin adhesives are widely used because of their strength, versatility, and ability to bond a variety of substrates. Furfurylamines represent a potential, new class of epoxy curing agents. Furfuryl amine (FA), tetrahydrofurfuryl amine (THFA), and 5,5′-methylenebis-2-furanmethanamine (DFA) were studied as possible epoxy curing agents. The utility of FA and THFA are limited by their volatility at the temperatures needed to effect cure of diglycidyl-ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) based epoxy resins. DFA is a very effective epoxy curing agent with the ability to cure DGEBA at rates similar to that of standard epoxy curing agents such as liethylenetriamine.     

Studies on the curing behaviour of bismaleimides and epoxy-resin blends

This paper describes the effect of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) on the curing behaviour of a chain-extended bismaleimide resin. 4,4'-Bismaleimidophenyl sulfone (BS) resin was treated with 4,4'-diaminodiphenyl ether or 4,4'-diaminodiphenyl methane to yield BS-M and BS-E resins which were then solution-blended with DGEBA containing stoichiometric amounts of amine as hardener. A decrease in the curing temperature of BS-M or BS-E was observed on blending with DGEBA. The thermal stability of the cured resin was reduced on blending.     

Benzoxazine modified diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-a/silicon/siliconized epoxy hybrid polymer matrices: Mechanical,thermal, electrical and morphological properties

Benzoxazines modified epoxy hybrid polymer matrices were developed using benzoxazines (CB_DDM and BMPB_DDM) and epoxy resins (DGEBA, SE and EP-HTPDMS) to make them suitable for high performance applications. The benzoxazine-epoxy hybrid polymer matrices were prepared via in-situ polymerization and were investigated for their thermal, thermo-mechanical, mechanical, electrical and morphological properties. Two types of skeletal modified benzoxazines namely 1,1-bis(3-methyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)cyclohexane benzoxazine (CB_DDM) and bis(4-maleimidophenyl) benzoxazine (BMPB_DDM) were synthesized by reacting paraformaldehyde and 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane with 1,1-bis (3-methyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)cyclohexane and N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)maleimide respectively. Epoxy resins viz., diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA), silicon incorporated epoxy (SE) and siliconized epoxy resin (EP-HTPDMS) were modified with 5, 10 and 15 wt% of benzoxazines using 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane as a curing agent at appropriate conditions. The chemical reaction of benzoxazines with the epoxy resin was carried out thermally and the resulting product was analyzed by FT-IR spectra. The glass transition temperature, curing behavior, thermal stability, char yield and flame resistance of the hybrid polymers were analysed by means of DSC, TGA and DMA. Mechanical properties were studied as per ASTM standards. The benzoxazines modified epoxy resin systems exhibited lower values of dielectric constant and dielectric loss with an enhanced values of of arc resistance, glass transition temperatures, degradation temperatures, thermal stability, char yield, storage modulus, tensile strength, flexural strength and impact strength.     

Curing and thermomechanical properties of off-stoichiometric anhydride–epoxy thermosets

In the present work, we report the preparation and characterization of a new family of thermosets based on off-stoichiometric anhydride–epoxy formulations in the presence of an anionic initiator. Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and hexahydro-4-methylphthalic anhydride (HHMPA) have been used as epoxy and anhydride comonomers, respectively, and 1-methylimidazole (1MI) has been used as anionic initiator. The isothermal curing kinetics and the thermal properties of the stoichiometric and the off-stoichiometric systems have been compared. The kinetics of the isothermal curing has been analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) using an isoconversional method and the ?esták–Berggren equation to determine the activation energy, the frequency factor and the reaction orders. The materials obtained were characterized by DSC and dynamic mechanical analysis. Gelation during epoxy–anhydride condensation was determined by thermomechanical analysis. At the same curing temperature, the reaction is faster in the system with excess of epoxy groups. However, the glass transition temperatures of the partially cured stoichiometric system are greater. The gelation time of the off-stoichiometric system is shorter than that of the stoichiometric one. The results indicate that the dual-curing character of off-stoichiometric DGEBA/HHMPA thermosets with 1MI as anionic initiator makes them suitable for multistage curing processes with easy control of degree of cure and material properties in the intermediate stage and enhanced final material properties.

     

Curing behavior and properties of high biosourced epoxy resin blends based on a triepoxy monomer and a tricarboxylic acid hardener from 10-undecenoic acid

Renewable propane-1,2,3-triyl tris(9-(oxiran-2-yl) nonanoate) (EGU, 100 wt% biogenic) and a tricarboxylic acid triglyceride (CGTU) hardener (85.7 wt% biogenic) were synthesized from 10-undecenoic acid (10-UDA) and used to produce epoxy resins with 52–92 wt% biobased carbon. CGTU was prepared by thermally activated thiol-ene coupling of thioglycolic acid onto propane-1,2,3-triyl tris(undec-10-enoate), (GUD) in the absence of solvent. The characterized CGTU was used as a green hardener of blends based on EGU and a conventional bisphenol A-based epoxy pre-polymer (DGEBA) at various mass percentages (0–100 wt%) with an stoichiometric epoxy/acid equivalent ratio. Calorimetric studies revealed higher peak temperature, lower reaction heats, and longer gelation times in resins with high EGU proportion, evidencing the lower reactivity of aliphatic EGU compared with aromatic DGEBA. Cured resins were yellowish transparent rubber-like materials with glass transition temperatures (Tg) varying from −14 °C to −42 °C and tensile strength in the range of 1750 kPa–790 kPa, for 0 and 100 wt % EGU, respectively. The soluble fraction of all resins was less than 4.3%, reflecting a high level of crosslinking. Thermosets with high biobased content showed both UV-light protection and visible light transparency.     

Radical polymerization of metal-coordinated monomers with ligands of pyrrole-containing schiff bases

The copper complexes and the cobalt complex with the ligand of 3-(2-pyrrolylmethyl-enimino)propene-1 (PIP) or p-(2-pyrrolylmethylenimino)styrene (PIS) were synthesized and homopolymerizations and the copolymerization with styrene, acrylonitrile, methyl methacrylate and acrylic acid studied. In the polymerization of chelate monomers, inhibition of radical polymerization by the central metal ion was observed, but the chelate polymer could be obtained only if the initiator was present in higher concentrations in the feed. It is considered that the strength of inhibition depends on the electronic configuration of d-orbitals of the central metal ion. The initiation mechanism of the cupric chelate monomer may be reduction of the metal ion by the redox reaction with a primary radical via the intramolecular electron transfer through the π-conjugated system of the ligand prior to the propagation step. This mechanism was verified by studying the redox reaction of various copper complexes with DPPH. In the system of the copper complex containing PIS and acylic acid the alternating copolymer could be obtained at any mole fraction of monomer mixture in feed.