Curing of epoxy-anhydride formulations in the presence of imidazoles

Differential scanning calorimetry was used to study the reaction of isomethyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride with phenyl glycidyl ether and the curing kinetics of diglycidyl ether of diphenylolpropane in the presence of imidazoles. The deformation-strength characteristics of cured epoxy polymers were determined.     

Modification of epoxy polymers with small additives of multiwall carbon nanotubes

The effect of small additives of functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes used as a modifier on the formation and properties of epoxy polymers cured with diaminodiphenyl sulfone is investigated. In the range of additive concentrations 0.01–0.50 wt %, there are extreme dependences of dynamic storage modulus and the glass-transition temperature on modifier concentration. As shown by electron microscopy and X-ray scattering, regions with increased packing densities of macromolecules are formed in the polymers in the presence of the modifier. The effect of the specific surface on the kinetics of curing of epoxy resins is observed. A mechanism controlling the formation of the epoxy matrix that is responsible for the inhomogeneous polymer structuring that defines the final properties of the polymers is suggested.     

Polymeric materials based on oligodieneurethane-epoxy oligomers

Differential-scanning calorimetry in the dynamic mode was used to study the curing kinetics of a PDI-3AK macromolecular oligodieneurethane-epoxy oligomer with isomethyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride in the presence of a number of catalysts, modifiers, and fillers. The effect of their chemical nature on physicomechanical properties of cured polymers was examined.     

Estimation of kinetic parameters for curing of epoxy-anhydride compositions by DSC

The kinetics of the curing process of epoxy resin (ED-22) in the presence of the anhydride hardeners (iso-methyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride, hexahydrophthalic anhydride, and dodecylsuccinic anhydride) and accelerators (2-methyl imidazole and n-butyltriphenylphosphonium bromide) has been investigated by DSC method in the dynamic mode. Processing of experimental DSC thermograms recorded at different heating rates was carried out within the frameworks of isoconvertional analysis in two versions, namely "model-free" method of Friedman and the Ozawa—Flynn—Wall method. The possibility to describe the kinetics of epoxy compositions curing in the frameworks of one-step autocatalytic reaction model has been demonstrated. Obtained kinetic parameters were used to predict the curing kinetics under isothermal conditions and for comparative analysis of the compositions.     

Kinetics and mechanistic investigation of epoxy–anhydride compositions cured with quaternary phosphonium salts as accelerators

Mechanism and curing kinetics of bisphenol A epoxy resin–iso‐methyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride compositions using quaternary phosphonium salts as accelerators were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and electrospray mass‐spectrometry (ESI‐MS). The DSC method was applied to investigate curing kinetics and apparent activation energy values for the overall curing process. The DSC results showed that some of the phosphonium salts lead to a lower activation energy, that means they are more effective accelerators for the curing of epoxy–anhydride systems. The mechanism of curing was studied by ESI‐MS using the model reaction of epichlorohydrin (E) with phthalic anhydride (PA) in the presence of phosphonium salts or 2‐methylimidazole. Products containing the alkyl moiety of the phosphonium salt in form of alkyl esters could be identified. This suggests that the phosphonium salts activate the anhydride by electrophilic attack. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 1088–1097     

Synthesis and properties of epoxy-anhydride polymers modified with polyfluorolakyl-substituted oxiranes in the course of curing

Epoxy-anhydride polymers based on N,N,O-triglycidyl-p-aminophenol and isomethyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride were synthesized in the presence of new active modifiers, polyfluoroalkyl glycidyl ethers. The kinetics of the reactions of the modifiers with the anhydride were studied by differential scanning calorimetry and IR spectroscopy. The physicomechanical characteristics, glass transition points, and water absorption of the polymers were determined.     

Cure kinetics modeling and thermomechanical properties of cycloaliphatic epoxy‐anhydride thermosets modified with hyperstar polymers

Hyperstar polymers (HSPs) with hyperbranched aromatic polyester core and arms consisting of block copolymers of poly(methyl methacrylate) and poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) have been used as polymeric modifiers in cycloaliphatic epoxy‐anhydride formulations catalyzed with tertiary amines, with the purpose of enhancing the impact strength of the resulting materials without compromising other thermal and mechanical properties.> In this work, the effect of these polymeric modifiers on the curing kinetics, processing, thermal‐mechanical properties and thermal stability has been studied using thermal analysis techniques such as DSC, TMA, DMA, and TGA. The morphology of the cured materials has been analyzed with SEM. The curing kinetics has been analyzed by isoconversional procedures and phenomenological kinetic models taking into account the vitrification during curing, and the degradation kinetics has been analyzed by means of isoconversional procedures, summarizing the results in a time‐temperature‐transformation (TTT) diagram. The results show that HSPs participate in the crosslinking process due to the presence of reactive groups, without compromising significantly their thermal‐mechanical properties. The modified materials show a potential toughness enhancement produced by the formation of a nano‐grained morphology. The TTT diagram is shown to be a useful tool for the optimization of the curing schedule in terms of curing completion and safe processing window, as well as for defining storage stability conditions. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 1227–1242     

改性聚乙二醇修饰高交联度不饱和聚酯网络结构的动态力学分析

合成了一系列含有反应活性端基的改性聚乙二醇,并用其对BMC(团状模塑料)专用的高交联度不饱和聚酯进行增韧.结果表明,含有反应性马来酸酐端基的聚乙二醇参与了不饱和聚酯的固化反应,可在交联网络中构成不同长度的柔性链段,在显著提高不饱和聚酯的韧性的同时,基本保持了材料的模量及其它力学性能.用动态力学分析(DMA)对不饱和聚酯交联网络结构进行了系统研究.     

The crosslinking of epoxy resins at interfaces. I. Germanium,germanium dioxide,and silane-treated germanium

The chemical changes that accompany the crosslinking of an epoxy resin by an anhydride curing agent were followed by internal reflection spectroscopy (IRS). The crosslinking process was carried out on the surface of a germanium IRS element and the effects of various surface treatments of the germanium (humid aging, oxidation, and silane coating) on the reaction kinetics were examined. The reaction kinetics in the first 3000–4000 Å of the resin adjacent to dry, freshly polished germanium were similar to the reaction kinetics in the bulk of the resin. However, humid aging or oxidation of the germanium surface produced a local acceleration in the rate of anhydride consumption and reduced the yield of ester products. The aminosilane coating accelerated the consumption of anhydride, decreased the yield of ester, and resulted in the formation of amide groups in the interfacial region.     

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.

     

UV固化超支化聚酯树脂的制备研究

以双季戊四醇（DPE）为超支化核心，与偏苯三酸酐（TMA）和甲基丙烯酸缩水甘油酯（GMA）反应合成了超支化聚酯树脂。偏苯三酸酐半酯化后产生羧基，羧基再与GMA中的环氧基反应提供UV固化性能。同时研究了温度、催化剂等因素对反应的影响。     

3‐Phenylethynyl phthalimide end‐capped imide oligomers and the cured polymers

In the past decades, 4‐phenylethynyl phthalic anhydride (4‐PEPA) has been the most important endcapper used for thermoset polyimide. As the isomer of4‐PEPA, 3‐phenylethynyl phthalic anhydride (3‐PEPA) has attracted our interest. In this article, 3‐PEPA was synthesized and a comparative study with 4‐PEPA on curing temperature, curing rate, thermal and mechanical properties of oligomers and cured polymers was presented. The new phenylethynyl endcapped model compound, N‐phenyl‐3‐phenylethynyl phthalimide, was synthesized and characterized. The molecular structure of model compound was determined via single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and the thermal curing process was investigated by Fourier transform infrared. Differential scanning calorimetry clearly showed that the model compound from 3‐PEPA had about 20 °C higher curing onset and peak temperature than the 4‐PEPA analog. This result was further proved by the dynamic rheological analysis that the temperature of minimum viscosity for oligomers end‐capped with 3‐PEPA was above 20 °C higher than that of the corresponding 4‐PEPA endcapped oligomers with the same calculated number average molecular weight. The cured polymer from 3‐PEPA displayed slightly higher thermal oxidative stability than those from 4‐PEPA by thermogravimetric analysis. The thermal curing kinetics of 3‐PEPA endcapped oligomer (OI‐5) and 4‐PEPA endcapped oligomer (OI‐6) fitted a first‐order rate law quite well and revealed a similar rate acceleration trend. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 46: 4227–4235, 2008     

Anhydride curing of epoxy resins via chain reaction

In contrast to common curing reactions, the anhydride curing of epoxies follows a living anionic chain growth. The resulting consequences of this mechanism, i.e. (1) DP_n = a[M_o]/[I_o], (2) first-order kinetics and (3) Poisson chain-length distribution were tested with the phenyl glycidyl ether/phthalic acid anhydride system, using l-methyl imidazole. Overall agreement was found and the observed deviations could be explained with a modified Poisson process. Conformational properties of the resins were measured by static and dynamic light scattering and by viscometry. These were compared with the quantities of a corresponding branched system prepared with a mixture of phenyl glycidyl ether and bisphenol-A diglycidyl ether. Typical deviations to smaller dimensions were observed at high molar masses as a result of increasing branching.     

New epoxy thermosets modified with hyperbranched poly(ester-amide) of different molecular weight

The influence of hydroxy-functionalized hyperbranched poly(ester-amide) (HBP) of different molecular weight on the curing process of diglycidylether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) was studied using methyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride (MTHPA) as curing agent. By Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) the curing reaction was monitored and the covalent incorporation of the modifier in the matrix was proved. By thermomechanical analysis (TMA) the reduction of the contraction after gelation on changing the HBP proportion was observed. The incorporation of HBP increased the glass transition temperature (T_g) and reduced the overall shrinkage. The modified materials showed a higher thermal degradability than neat DGEBA thermosets allowing reworkability. Thermal expansion coefficient, Young’s modulus, impact strength and microhardness were improved. The water uptake behavior was also evaluated.     

From curing kinetics to network structure: A novel approach to the modeling of the network buildup of epoxy–anhydride thermosets

The curing kinetics and network buildup during curing of epoxy–anhydride formulations using tertiary amines as initiators are reviewed in this work. A mechanism‐based kinetic and structural model has been defined, showing better prediction capabilities than previous living polymerization and simple regeneration models. The curing kinetics have been analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the gelation during curing has been determined by combined thermomechanical analysis and DSC. The effect of initiator content and epoxy equivalent weight are taken into account. The network buildup has been modeled using a stochastic network buildup model based on the random combination of primary chains generated by the kinetic model. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 61–75     

Epoxy/modifier block copolymers

The curing of epoxy resins with anhydrides in the presence of dihydroxyl-terminated polyester or polyether modifiers produces block copolymer structures in which one “block” is the crosslinked epoxy/anhydride network and the other block is the linear modifier segment. The morphology of the cured system is dependent upon modifier molecular weight. The critical molecular weight of polycaprolactone and poly(propylene oxide) is 3000–5000. Below this level, single morphological phase systems are obtained, but two-microphase systems result above this level. This behavior is displayed by several epoxy resins. Two-phase systems display a superior balance of heat distortion temperature and impact strength, thus providing tough systems with greater elevated temperature capabilities than are obtained with single-phase systems.     

Model experiments for the interfacial reaction between polymers during reactive polymer blending

Bilayer film Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) model experiments are designed to provide a well-defined interface for study which can be probed by infrared spectroscopy during the interdiffusion and reaction of two reactive polymers. This provides a model experiment to determine the kinetics and extent of reaction between functionalized polymers during reactive polymer blending. This type of experiment provides data on the reaction at a stagnant interface which is necessary for the analysis of the interface while it is simultaneously undergoing deformation. It is also useful as a screening or preliminary experiment on reactive blending systems in that the extent of reaction may be followed for different systems at different temperatures. Experiments reported here trace the reaction of a styrene–maleic anhydride copolymer with two different amine terminated polymers. Results are obtained for the interdiffusion and reaction of a styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer with two amine terminated polymers: a butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymer and Nylon 11. The kinetics from these experiments include contributions due to both interdiffusion and chemical reaction. The chemical reaction kinetics may be isolated from the diffusion kinetics by performing experiments on well-mixed systems which are prepared by casting films of the polymer mixtures from a mutual solvent. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Thermal deformation properties of oligoepoxide-based binders

Crosslink density and a number of other physicochemical parameters of composites are investigated as functions of the initial mixture composition by the example of materials comprising bisphenol A-based epoxy oligomers with different molecular masses, nitrogen-chlorine-containing oligoepoxide, epoxy novolac block copolymer, epoxyurethane modifier, and amine and anhydride curing agents. It is shown that the incorporation of elasticizers into densely crosslinked polymers reduces the free kinetic volume of the latter. The modification of binder makes it possible to obtain composites that are both well deformed and capable of recovering initial shape at T ≥ T _g. The properties of glass-and carbon-reinforced plastics prepared using the developed elasticized binders by the contact molding are described. This method ensures defect-free bending deformation that exceeds that achieved in the case of compression molding. A rubber-like deformation technology is elaborated that enables one to employ blow molding for the production of open-contour items from cured blanks and closed-contour items that cannot be produced by winding because of their configuration.     

Insights into phthalonitrile/epoxy blends modification system from non-competitive cure system based on alicyclic anhydride

A series of polymer blends were prepared from 1,3-bis(3,4-dicyanophenoxy)benzene (3BOCN) and epoxy resin with methyl tetrahydrophthalic anhydride as curing agent.The curing behavior and curing kinetics of the blends were studied by differential scanning calorimetry.The apparent activation energy of the blends with various contents of 3BOCN was higher than that of the blends without 3BOCN.A model experiment suggested that there is no obvious reaction between phthalonitrile and epoxy.The thermal and mechanical properties of the polymer blends were evaluated.The polymer blends exhibit high storage modulus and char yield compared with the neat epoxy.The polymer blends show ductile fracture morphology by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images.     

High-strength fire- and heat-resistant imide resins containing cyclotriphosphazene and hexafluoroisopropylidene groups

High-strength fire- and heat-resistant polymers were obtained by the thermally induced melt-polymerization of maleimido-phenoxy cyclotriphosphazenes linked by hexafluoroisopropyliden-ediphthalimide groups. These polymers show good thermal stability and high char yields: 78–80% at 800°C in nitrogen and 60–68% in air at 700°C. Graphite-fabric laminates did not burn in pure oxygen, even at 300°C (LOI = 100%), and were tested for shear, flexural, and tensile strengths. Two monomers were synthesized by reacting tris(4-aminophenoxy)-tris(phenoxy) cyclotriphosphazene with maleic anhydride and hexafluoroisopropylidenediphthalic anhydride. The triamine was synthesized by a stepwise reaction of hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene with phenol and 4-nitrophenol to give tris(4-nitrophenoxy)-tris(phenoxy)cyclotriphosphazene and reducing the nitro groups. The structures of cyclic phosphazene-trimeric precursors and the polymers were characterized by FT-IR, ¹H-NMR, ³¹P-NMR, and mass spectroscopy. The curing behaviors of polymer precursors were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analyses.