The crosslinking of epoxy resins at interfaces. V. Amine-cured resins at carbon and graphite surfaces

The effects of carbon blacks, chopped carbon fibers, and crushed carbon fibers on the crosslinking chemistry of a diglycidyl epoxy resin/m-phenylenediamine system were examined by infrared (IR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The carbon and graphite surfaces were given oxidizing and reducing treatment to simulate the surface treatment of carbon fibers used in the manufacture of composites. The oxidized carbon surfaces initially accelerated epoxy–amine reactions but inhibited the later stages of the reaction such that the final extent of cure was reduced. The oxidized carbons also preferentially adsorbed the amine curing agent, resulting in a stoichiometric imbalance at the interface.     

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.     

The crosslinking of epoxy resins at interfaces. III. At a carbonized polyacrylonitrile surface

The crosslinking chemistry of an anhydride-cured epoxy resin, in the first 200–400 nm adjacent to a carbonized polyacrylonitrile (PAN) surface (a model for the surface of a carbon fiber), is significantly affected by the humidity history of that surface. Prior humid aging of the carbonized PAN surface increases the subsequent rate of consumption of anhydride curing agent, and decreases the yield of ester crosslinked products. The crosslinking chemistry of an amine-cured epoxy resin appears unchanged by the presence of the carbonized surface. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of unidirectional composites made from carbon fibers and the above epoxy resin matrices shows that the damping characteristics of composites made with an epoxy–anhydride matrix are sensitive to the preconditioning history of the carbon fibers, while composites made with an epoxy–amine matrix are unaffected by the preconditioning history of the fibers. Partial removal of the carbon fiber surface coating by dichloromethane extraction does not change the sensitivity of the composites to fiber preconditioning history. These results are rationalized on the basis of the effect moisture adsorbed by the carbonized PAN and by the carbon fiber has on the epoxy resin crosslinking processes.     

The crosslinking of epoxy resins at interfaces. II. At an aromatic polyamide surface

The first 200–400 nm of crosslinked epoxy resin adjacent to an aromatic polyamide (aramid) surface were characterized by internal reflection spectroscopy (IRS) using an aramid-coated IRS element. The crosslinking kinetics and final crosslinked state of an anhydride-cured epoxy resin were strongly affected by the aramid surface, which produced a localized increase in the rate of anhydride consumption and a decrease in the yield of ester products. An aromatic amine-cured epoxy resin was less affected by the aramid surface. Unidirectional aramid fiber:epoxy composites were examined by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The chemical changes detected spectroscopically were shown to correlate with mechanical and thermal transition data obtained by DMA and DSC. These results are rationalized on the basis of the effect of absorbed moisture in the aramid on the crosslinking chemistry.     

New approaches to reversible crosslinking in epoxy resins

The objective of the research is to investigate epoxy resins where crosslinks formed in curing reactions can be cleaved and reformed without significant sacrifice in resin properties. Experimental disulfide-containing crosslinking agents have been selected for the study, including dihydrazides of dithiodicarboxylic acids (aliphatic and aromatic) and dithioaromatic diamines. Conditions for curing reactions and for subsequent cleavage of crosslinks by reduction have been determined in model systems and confirmed for a prototype epoxy resin. A comparative evaluation of cure kinetics, crosslink density, and thermal and mechanical properties has been carried out for resin cured with aromatic curing agents (dithiodianiline and methylenedianiline) and with aliphatic compounds (3, 3′-dithiopropionic acid dihydrazide and hexamethylenediamine). It has been shown that in resin fully cured with disulfide-containing crosslinking agents, crosslinks are ruptured by reduction, and re-established by oxidation under mild conditions, or by reaction of thiol groups with bifunctional alkylating agents.     

Studies on suspension and emulsion. XXXV. Effect of epoxy groups at the surface layer of ethyl acrylate–glycidyl methacrylate copolymer emulsion particles on its crosslinking reactivity

The effect of epoxy groups at the surface layer of ethyl acrylate–glycidyl methacrylate copolymer (1) emulsion particles on its crosslinking reactivity has been investigated. For this purpose two series of I emulsions were prepared. In the Y series, of which emulsion particles have epoxy groups at the surface layer, the epoxy content in the polymerization recipe was varied. For preparing the X series, of which emulsion particles have few epoxy groups at the surface layer, the high epoxy content of a given emulsion was reduced by various degrees of cleavage reaction with HCl–CaCl₂. In emulsion blend films with amine-group-containing copolymer (II) emulsion, where the crosslinking reaction was expected to proceed only at the interfacial layer of I and II emulsion particles, the Y series, compared to the X series at the equal overall epoxy content in particles, showed less swelling and higher gel fraction in dioxane, less swelling in water, and higher tensile strength and modulus. On the other hand, this difference was not observed in the next two crosslinked films in which crosslinking was expected to be homogeneous. First, blends of I and II, which were isolated from the corresponding emulsions discussed above, were cast from dioxane solutions. Second, I emulsions were cast with BF₃ ether complex which was expected to penetrate into the particles. It is concluded that the response of I emulsion cleaving the epoxy groups at the surface layer of particles to subsequent interfacial crosslinking is obviously reduced. However, even such an emulsion can be crosslinked to an extent similar to that of an uncleaved emulsion with similar overall epoxy content, if the crosslinking reaction is conducted so as to give an homogeneous effect.     

Effect of local dynamics on model epoxy resins

A series of epoxy resins has been prepared with different chain stiffness either in the diepoxide residue or in the diamine crosslinker (1). Furthermore, the crosslink density has been changed by incorporating either monoamine or secondary diamine as a chain extender, but in each system the stoichiometric ratio was maintained (1). Viscoelastic measurements were performed over a wide range of frequencies with the aim of determining the main characteristics associated with the Tg and β relaxation processes (2, 3). In a complementary way, high resolution solid state ¹³C NMR measurements were carried out to determine the mobilities of the different aliphatic carbons in the epoxy moieties (4). The effects of the chemical structure and of the crosslink density on the mobility of the different groups and the consequences on the Tg values, the amplitude of the β transition and the modulus of the resins are analyzed (5).     

The Effect of Electrochemical Modification of Activated Carbons by Polypyrrole on Their Structure Characteristics,Composition of Surface Compounds,and Adsorption Properties

The electrochemical modification of activated carbons (AC) by a conducting polymer polypyrrole (PPy) has a substantial effect on the AC structure characteristics, electrochemical properties, and adsorption activity with respect to natural substances (by the example of free hemoglobin). Using the method of standard contact porosimetry (SCP), the porous structure and hydrophilic–hydrophobic properties are studied for the activated carbon SKT-6A, the [SKT-6A/PPy/Cl^–] composite, and individual polypyrrole. The chemistry of the activated carbon surface is studied by the standardized Boehm method. It is shown that the nature of activated carbon and its initial surface substantially affect the character of its interaction with the conducting polymer polypyrrole. The effect of such modification on the AC surface chemistry should be considered in aggregate by taking into account each component of such modification. The increase in the sorption ability of [AC/PPy/Cl^–] composites with respect to hemoglobin is largely associated with the stronger hydrophilicity of polypyrrole as compared with activated carbons.     

Adsorption of mercury from single and multicomponent metal systems on activated carbon developed from cherry stones

The adsorption of mercury from a single/multi-solute aqueous solution by activated carbon (AC) prepared from cherry stones (CS) by chemical activation with H₃PO₄, ZnCl₂ or KOH is studied. Three series of AC (i.e., P, H₃PO₄; Z, ZnCl₂; K, KOH) were prepared by controlling the impregnation ratio and carbonization temperature. The textural characterization of AC was carried out by gas adsorption, mercury porosimetry and density measurements. The surface chemistry was analyzed by the pH of the point of zero charge (pH_zpc), FT-IR spectroscopy and Boehm’s method. Experiments of mercury adsorption were conducted by the batch method, using aqueous solutions of mercury and of mercury, cadmium and zinc without pH adjustment. The ACs possess a wide range of pore volumes and sizes. Their microporosity is usually well developed. The meso- and macropore volumes are higher for the P carbons and K carbons, respectively. BET surface areas as a rule range between 1000 and 2000 m²?g^?1. The pH_zpc is much lower for the P carbons. The content of acidic oxygen surface groups is lower for the K carbons, whereas the content of basic groups is higher for these carbons. The kinetics of the adsorption process of mercury is faster for ACs with high volumes of large size pores. However, the surface groups have a marked unfavorable influence on the kinetics. The pseudo-second order rate constant (k₂×10^?3, g/mol?h) is higher by the order Z-4-800 (67.69)>K-3-800 (43.45)>P-3.44-400 (36.98). The incorporation of zinc and cadmium to the mercury solution usually decelerates the adsorption process for the P carbons and Z carbons and accelerates it for the K carbons. The amount adsorbed of mercury is much larger for the K carbons than for the other ACs. For the Z carbons, competition effects of zinc and cadmium on the adsorption of mercury are negligible, which indicates that mercury adsorbs specifically on surface active sites of these adsorbents.     

Adsorption and redox processes at carbon nanofiber electrodes grown onto a ceramic fiber backbone

The adsorption of aromatic compounds onto activated carbons and carbon nanofibers is of considerable technical importance and beneficial in electroanalytical procedures. Here, effects due to the strong adsorption of hydroquinone, benzoquinone, and phenol onto carbon nanofiber electrodes immersed in aqueous media are reported. Carbon nanofiber materials (fiber diameter approximately 100 nm) are grown onto ceramic fiber substrates by employing an ambient pressure chemical vapour deposition process. The resulting composite electrode material is sufficiently electrically conducting due to the high carbon content and mechanically robust due to the ceramic backbone. It is shown that the voltammetric signal obtained for the one electron reduction of Ru(NH₃)₆³⁺ is dominated by solution trapped in the three-dimensional electrode structure. In contrast, for the hydroquinone/benzoquinone redox system in aqueous phosphate buffer (pH 7) strong adsorption onto the carbon nanofiber material is observed. In the presence of phenol also strong adsorption is detected. In the course of the chemically irreversible oxidation of phenol in aqueous phosphate buffer (pH 7), the formation of multi-electron oxidation products related to benzoquinone is observed. The pathway for the oxidation process is attributed to (i) the high surface area of the carbon nanofiber electrode and (ii) the adsorption of intermediates.     

On the adsorption/oxidation of hydrogen sulfide on activated carbons at ambient temperatures

Activated carbons of various origins (bituminous coal, wood, coconut shells, and peat) were studied as adsorbents of hydrogen sulfide. Before the experiments the surface of the adsorbents was characterized by using the sorption of nitrogen, Boehm and potentiometric titrations, thermal analysis, and FTIR. The adsorbents were chosen to differ in their surface areas, pore volumes, and surface acidities. To broaden the spectrum of surface acidity, carbons were oxidized by using nitric acid and ammonium persulfate. After hydrogen sulfide adsorption the species present on the surface were analyzed using thermal analysis, ion chromatography, and elemental analysis. The H(2)S breakthrough capacity tests showed that the performances of different carbons differ significantly. For a good performance of carbons as hydrogen sulfide adsorbents a proper combination of surface chemistry of carbon and porosity is needed. It was demonstrated that a more acidic environment promotes the formation of sulfur oxides and sulfuric acid despite yielding small H(2)S removal capacities. On the other hand, a basic environment favors the formation of elemental sulfur (sulfur radicals) and yields high capacities. The presence of a sufficient amount of water preadsorbed on the carbon surface to facilitate dissociation also plays an important role in the process of H(2)S adsorption/oxidation. The results showed that there is a critical value in carbon surface acidity, which when exceeded results in a negligible hydrogen sulfide breakthrough capacity. This is consistent with the mechanism of H(2)S adsorption on unmodified carbons, where the rate-limiting step is the reaction of adsorbed hydrogen sulfide ion with dissociatively adsorbed oxygen. When the acidity is expressed as pH, its value should be higher than 5 to ensure the effective removal of hydrogen sulfide from the gas phase. Study of carbon regeneration using water washing and heat treatment showed that the adsorbents can be regenerated to about 40% of their initial capacity.     

Epoxy resins cured with aminophenylmethylphosphine oxide 1: Combustion performance

The kinetics of curing tetraglycidyl 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl methane (TGDDM) or of the mixture TGDDM/diglycidylether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) by bis(m-aminophenyl)methylphosphine oxide (BAMPO) was studied using differential scanning calorimetry. At low advancement of curing (<50%), the low activation energy interaction between epoxy and amino groups seems to be controlled by diffusion, whereas above 50% the role of homopolymerization tends to increase and the process becomes chemically controlled. BAMPO shows a higher fire-retardant effectiveness in the mixture TGDDM/DGEBA than in TGDDM or DGEBA alone, for which the oxygen and nitrous oxide index tests suggest a condensed phase or a gas phase fire-retardant action depending on phosphorus content. An intumescent char is formed on the surface of burning fire-retarded specimens which tends, however, to be oxidized, thus reducing the fire-proofing effect at high BAMPO content.     

Importance of structural and chemical heterogeneity of activated carbon surfaces for adsorption of dibenzothiophene

The performance of various activated carbons obtained from different carbon precursors (i.e., plastic waste, coal, and wood) as adsorbents for the desulfurization of liquid hydrocarbon fuels was evaluated. To increase surface heterogeneity, the carbon surface was modified by oxidation with ammonium persulfate. The results showed the importance of activated carbon pore sizes and surface chemistry for the adsorption of dibenzothiophene (DBT) from liquid phase. Adsorption of DBT on activated carbons is governed by two types of contributions: physical and chemical interactions. The former include dispersive interactions in the microporous network of the carbons. While the volume of micropores governs the amount physisorbed, mesopores control the kinetics of the process. On the other hand, introduction of surface functional groups enhances the performance of the activated carbons as a result of specific interactions between the acidic centers of the carbon and the basic structure of DBT molecule as well as sulfur-sulfur interactions.     

Effect of the substituted benzene group on thermal and mechanical properties of epoxy resins initiated by cationic latent catalysts

Epoxy resins (DGEBA) were cured by cationic latent thermal catalysts, that is, N‐benzylpyrazinium hexafluoroantimonate (BPH) and N‐benzylquinoxalinium hexafluoroantimonate (BQH) to investigate the effect of substituted benzene group on cure kinetics and mechanical properties of epoxy system. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was undertaken for activation energy of the system. It was also characterized in terms of flexural, fracture toughness, and Izod impact strengths for the mechanical tests. As a result, the cure reaction of both epoxy systems resulted in an autocatalytic kinetic mechanism accelerated by hydroxyl groups. Also, the conversion and cure activation energy of the DGEBA/BQH system were higher than those of DGEBA/BPH system. The mechanical properties of the DGEBA/BQH system were also superior to those of the DGEBA/BPH system, as well as the morphology. This was probably due to the consequence of the effect of the substituted benzene group of the BQH catalyst, resulting in increasing the crosslinking density and structural stability in the epoxy system studied. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2419–2429, 2004     

Ultrastable Surface-Dominated Pseudocapacitive Potassium Storage Enabled by Edge-Enriched N-Doped Porous Carbon Nanosheets

The development of ultrastable carbon materials for potassium storage poses key limitations caused by the huge volume variation and sluggish kinetics. Nitrogen-enriched porous carbons have recently emerged as promising candidates for this application; however, rational control over nitrogen doping is needed to further suppress the long-term capacity fading. Here we propose a strategy based on pyrolysis–etching of a pyridine-coordinated polymer for deliberate manipulation of edge-nitrogen doping and specific spatial distribution in amorphous high-surface-area carbons; the obtained material shows an edge-nitrogen content of up to 9.34 at %, richer N distribution inside the material, and high surface area of 616 m² g⁻¹ under a cost-effective low-temperature carbonization. The optimized carbon delivers unprecedented K-storage stability over 6000 cycles with negligible capacity decay (252 mA h g⁻¹ after 4 months at 1 A g⁻¹), rarely reported for potassium storage.     

The Use of High Surface Area Mesoporous-Activated Carbon from Longan Seed Biomass for Increasing Capacity and Kinetics of Methylene Blue Adsorption from Aqueous Solution

Microporous- and mesoporous-activated carbons were produced from longan seed biomass through physical activation with CO₂ under the same activation conditions of time and temperature. The specially prepared mesoporous carbon showed the maximum porous properties with the specific surface area of 1773 m²/g and mesopore volume of 0.474 cm³/g which accounts for 44.1% of the total pore volume. These activated carbons were utilized as porous adsorbents for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from an aqueous solution and their effectiveness was evaluated for both the adsorption kinetics and capacity. The adsorption kinetic data of MB were analyzed by the pseudo-first-order model, the pseudo-second-order model, and the pore-diffusion model equations. It was found that the adsorption kinetic behavior for all carbons tested was best described by the pseudo-second-order model. The effective pore diffusivity (D_e) derived from the pore-diffusion model had the values of 4.657 × 10⁻⁷–6.014 × 10⁻⁷ cm²/s and 4.668 × 10⁻⁷–19.920 × 10⁻⁷ cm²/s for the microporous- and mesoporous-activated carbons, respectively. Three well-known adsorption models, namely the Langmuir, Freundlich and Redlich–Peterson equations were tested with the experimental MB adsorption isotherms, and the results showed that the Redlich–Peterson model provided the overall best fitting of the isotherm data. In addition, the maximum capacity for MB adsorption of 1000 mg/g was achieved with the mesoporous carbon having the largest surface area and pore volume. The initial pH of MB solution had virtually no effect on the adsorption capacity and removal efficiency of the methylene blue dye. Increasing temperature over the range from 35 to 55 °C increased the adsorption of methylene blue, presumably caused by the increase in the diffusion rate of methylene blue to the adsorption sites that could promote the interaction frequency between the adsorbent surface and the adsorbate molecules. Overall, the high surface area mesoporous carbon was superior to the microporous carbon in view of the adsorption kinetics and capacity, when both carbons were used for the removal of MB from an aqueous solution.     

Epoxy resins. II. The preparation,characterization, and curing of epoxy resins and their copolymers

A polymer with high aromatic ring content in the chain backbone usually has high heat and flame resistance. Three diglycidyl ethers of epoxy resins were prepared from bisphenol A (DGEBA), phenolphthalein (DGEPP), and 9,9-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)fluorene (DGEBF) in a study of the relation between the cured polymer structure and properties. The epoxy resin prepared from phenolphthalein was separated by liquid chromatography and three fractions were obtained. The fractions had a basic structure of 3,3-disubstituted phthalide and differed only in molecular weight. The DGEPP resin changed color from yellow to red after mixing with trimethoxyboroxine (TMB), the curing agent, and to orange after completing the curing cycle. To prepare a highly crosslinked material with good thermal stability, TMB with three active Lewis sites in a molecule was used as the curing agent. The reactivity of the three different resins toward TMB, measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), was DGEBA > DGEBF > DGEPP. For the same curing conditions the order of crosslink density was DGEBA > DGEPP > DGEBF. To modify the flammability of DGEBA, the conventional epoxy resin, it was copolymerized with DGEPP and DGEBF, the higher-performance epoxy resins. The glass transition temperatures of poly(DGEBA-co-DGEPP) and poly(DGEBA-co-DGEBF) systems deviated from this relationship. The DGEBF copolymers showed an increased char residue (40 wt % at 700°C) at 20 mole % of DGEBF. This deviation may be due to the lower crosslinking density of this system.     

聚苯胺-改性木质素磺酸钠复合材料基活性炭负载Pd催化剂对甲酸氧化的催化性能

将聚苯胺/改性木质素磺酸钠复合材料在不同炭化温度下进行处理得到活性炭材料，利用红外光谱、拉曼光谱、比表面积分析和扫描电镜等手段对其结构和表面性质进行了表征。通过液相还原方法将Pd纳米颗粒负载在所制备的活性炭材料上，获得Pd/C催化剂用于甲酸氧化，并采用X射线衍射、透射电镜和电化学测试等方法对该Pd/C催化剂进行表征。结果表明，以800℃下炭化得到的活性炭材料为载体所制备的Pd-AC800催化剂其催化性能最优；Pd粒径为5.4 nm，电化学活性面积为53.78 m²/g。由于在该催化剂上甲酸氧化通过直接途径进行，Pd-AC800可用作直接甲酸燃料电池的催化剂。     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol on Pt-Pd nanoparticles supported on honeycomb-like porous carbons in alkaline media

Honeycomb-like porous carbons (PCs) were synthesized using a facile self-assembly method with phenolic resin as the carbon source and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as the silica source. The PCs were found to have a large BET surface area of 458 m² g^?1 and a partially graphitized structure. The obtained PCs were used as a support for various Pt-Pd bimetallic alloy catalysts employed for methanol oxidation in alkaline media. Compared with Pt supported on commercial Vulcan XC-72R carbon (Pt/C) and with the other Pt-Pd bimetallic alloy catalysts on PCs, Pt₃Pd₁ on PCs displayed the most negative onset potential for methanol oxidation and the highest steady-state current (2.04 mA cm^?2). This may be because the Pt₃Pd₁/PCs catalyst has the largest electrochemical active surface area (ESA), and because adding Pd to the catalyst improves the ability of the intermediate species to tolerate oxidation. The results show that the prepared Pt-Pd/PCs is a potential candidate for application as a catalyst in alkaline direct methanol fuel cells.