Phase separation and rheological behavior in thermoplastic modified epoxy systems

The relationship between rheological behavior and phase separation in polyesterimide modified epoxy systems was studied by rheometry, time-resolved light scattering (TRLS), and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The rheological behaviors of blends during phase separation showed an exponential grow of complex viscosity, while the phase separation was inhibited by the vitrification of the polyesterimide-rich matrix phase rather than gelation of dispersed epoxy-rich particles. The characteristic relaxation time obtained by the simulation of complex viscosity could be described well by the Williams–Landel–Ferry equation, which corresponded well with the light scattering results. Therefore, this work would further provide the experimental proofs that the exponential relaxation behavior of complex viscosity could be attributed to the viscoelastic flow of epoxy-rich escaping from polyesterimide-rich matrix during phase separation.     

环氧树脂/聚砜共混体系相结构的调控研究——环氧预聚物分子量的影响

研究了不同分子量的环氧预聚物对双酚A型双官能团环氧树脂 /聚砜 (PSF) /固化剂 (二氨基二苯基砜 ,DDS)体系相分离结构的影响 .通过红外光谱 (FTIR)和动态热机械分析 (TMA)对反应转化率、玻璃化温度以及固化温度的关系的研究 ,表明环氧预聚物分子量较小时 ,凝胶点和玻璃化是影响相结构的关键因素 ;环氧分子量较大时 ,环氧扩链后粘度的变化则成为抑制相分离的重要因素 .电子显微镜 (SEM)结果表明改变环氧预聚物分子量可以达到调控相结构的目的 ,随着预聚物分子量的增大 ,体系的微区尺寸减小 .     

环氧树脂共混物相结构的调控方法研究

研究了环氧树脂(E51)/聚砜(PSF)共混物相结构的控制方法.通过抑制相分离、控制预固化的反应程度控制环氧树脂的分子量,固化后可获得不同的共混物相结构.依据红外测定的固化反应程度设定固化程序,可有效控制共混物的相结构.加入促进剂三氟化硼-乙基胺(BTF-EA)可提高固化反应速度,使相分离结构在早期被抑制,以获得小微区的相结构.     

MICRO-PHASE SAEPARATION IN EPOXY RESIN WATERBORNE PARTICLES DURING CURING PROCESS

Sub-micron sized phenolic epoxy resin waterborne particles were prepared by phase inversion emulsification. Micro-phase separation occurred during the curing process at high temperature. The as-prepared samples possessed one glass transition temperature （Tg） and two exothermal processes during DSC heating scannings. After being thermally treated above the exothermal peak temperature, they possessed two glass transition temperatures with the disappearance of exothermal peaks, whilst a core/shell structure was formed. This was likely related with the outward diffusion of reactive oligomers to the outer layer of particles.     

Polymerization-induced viscoelastic phase separation in polyethersulfone-modified epoxy systems

The polymerization-induced phase-separation process of polyethersulfone (PES)-modified epoxy systems was monitored in situ continuously on a single sample throughout the entire curing process by using optical microscopes, time-resolved light scattering (TRLS), scanning electronic microscopes (SEM), and a rheometry instrument. At specific PES content a viscoelastic transformation process of phase inversion morphology to bicontinuous was found with an optical microscope. The rheological behavior during phase separation corresponds well with the morphology development. Light-scattering results monitoring the phase-separation process of systems with final phase inversion morphology show a typical exponential decay procedure of scattering vector qm. The characteristic relaxation time of phase separation can be described well by the WLF equation.     

Epoxy – diamine thermoset/thermoplastic blends: thermoset reactions and rheological evolutions during curing

Isothermal rates of reaction during the cure of epoxy‐amine/thermoplastic blends were studied. Epoxy‐amine reaction induces a phase separation. Experimental results show that when TP concentration is higher than 30 wt% an increase of reaction rate is observed after phase separation. A modelling of the kinetics of each phase before and after phase separation, shows that in the epoxy‐amine rich phase, gelation occurs for a conversion close to 0.6. Rheological behaviour was studied during the cure. The viscosity was found greatly dependent of the morphology, the epoxy amine conversion and of the evolution of the phase composition. Modelling of the viscosity using simple relations gives a good fit of the experimental results during the cure.     

原位制备PEI/SiO2复合材料及其改性环氧树脂的研究

在N,N-二甲基乙酰胺/四氢呋喃(DMAc/THF)混合溶剂中,在正硅酸乙酯(TEOS)存在条件下,通过溶胶-凝胶法原位制备了聚醚酰亚胺(PEI)/SiO2复合材料.在该复合材料中,当SiO2含量低于20 wt％时,透射电镜(TEM)和扫描电镜(SEM)的观察表明,SiO2纳米粒子可以均匀分散,粒径可在80～300 n...     

Determination of the Phase Inversion Temperature of Orange Oil/Water Emulsions by Rheology and Microcalorimetry

Abstract

In low-energy emulsification processes, phase inversion occurs when the phases of a dispersion exchange, because of changes in the medium's properties. This paper reports experiments to determine the phase inversion temperature (PIT) of orange oil/water emulsions stabilized by nonionic surfactants. Two techniques were employed: rheology, which is already commonly used to obtain the PIT, and microcalorimetry, which has been proposed as a new technique. Continuous monitoring of the emulsions' viscosity permitted identifying different phenomena that occur while the temperature varies. For all the dispersions prepared, the rheological curves obtained showed two peaks, one attributed to the phase separation process and the other to the phase inversion phenomenon. The microcalorimetry technique showed two endothermic transitions as the dispersion's temperature increased. The initial temperatures were comparable to those obtained by rheology. The influence of the surfactant concentration and the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) of the mixture of surfactants and the reduction in volume of the phases at the phase inversion temperature were also evaluated. In general, both methods used to evaluate the phase inversion of the orange oil/water systems (rheology and microcalorimetry) presented concordant results, both for the phase separation process and the phase inversion temperature.     

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.     

Investigation of shear thinning behavior and microstructures of MWCNT/epoxy and CNF/epoxy suspensions under steady shear conditions

This report investigates the steady-state viscosities of multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/epoxy and carbon nanofiber (CNF)/epoxy suspensions with varying filler concentrations under different shear rates at various temperatures. In situ observation of filler networks suggests the build-up of shear induced MWCNT and CNF agglomerates at low shear rates, which correlates with the measured shear thinning behavior. The agglomeration process in MWCNT/epoxy suspensions is enhanced at lower shear rates in the case of higher temperatures, whereas, at high shear rates, both nano-fillers show good dispersion. Shear thinning behavior is observed for both types of fillers, and shear thinning exponential parameters are evaluated as a function of filler content. The shear thinning exponent increases in conjunction with increase in filler content, but it is found to saturate at a specific value, independently of filler material. Finally, the micromechanical elasticity-based analogy model is applied to the prediction of steady state shear viscosity of suspensions at higher shear rates with the assumption of complete dispersion and alignment of individual nano-fillers in suspensions. The predicted viscosities and the experimental data at higher shear rates are compared. The results conclude that fairly good agreement can be seen for the cases of CNF/epoxy suspensions at lower temperatures, whereas MWCNT/epoxy suspensions and CNF/epoxy suspensions at higher temperatures show discrepancy between the prediction and the experimental data.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel epoxy monomers and liquid crystal thermosets

Four new epoxy monomers have been synthesized and characterized as part of a program to prepare novel liquid crystal thermoset (LCT) materials. Three of the new epoxy monomers contained a biphenyl mesogen and were not liquid crystalline (LC). The remaining epoxy monomer, which contained a 1,4-dibenzoyloxybenzene mesogen, was synthesized in an overall yield of 30% and displayed a broad (83°C) nematic liquid crystalline phase. The new liquid crystalline epoxy monomer was cured at 120°C and postcured at 175°C with a stoichiometric amount of 1,4-phenylenediamine. The thermal transitions of the resulting LCT were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized light optical microscopy (POM), thermomechanical analysis (TMA), and wide angle x-ray diffraction (WAXD) as a function of cure time and temperature. A process characterization diagram was constructed which shows that LCTs based on this new LC monomer can be processed in the liquid crystalline phase over a broad range of times and temperatures. Qualitative agreement with previous epoxy LCT results was found, as LCT's with smectic phases and without clearing temperatures were observed at long cure times (high crosslink densities), whereas nematic phases with clearing temperatures predominated in networks at short cure times (low crosslink densities). © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

聚醚酰亚胺改性TGDDM环氧树脂的相分离研究

合成了不同化学结构的聚醚酰亚胺(PEI)并用于4,4′-二氨基二苯甲烷四缩水甘油醚(TGDDM)环氧树脂的增韧改性,以DSC,TRLS和SEM等方法研究了体系相分离过程中相容性和熔融粘度对相分离过程和结构的影响,对固化反应诱导相分离中相结构的控制提出初步的看法.     

Rheological Behavior of Epoxy Resin Concentrated Dispersions

IntroductionWaterbornedispersionsofpolymerresinswithlow(orzero)contentofvolatileorganiccompoundshavereceivedmuchat'tentionowingtoincreasinglystrictenvironmentalandecologicalregulations.BisphenolAepoxyresinisacondensationpolymerofanextensivescopeofapplicationssuchasincomposites,coatings,adhesives.Therefore,thepreparationoftheepoxyresinwaterbornedispersionsisveryinteresting.Recently,wehavesuccessfullypreparedtheepoxyresinwaterbornedispersionswithhighsolidcontentbyphaseinversionemulsificationtec…     

不完全相反转发展过程的流变行为

以动态应力流变仪ＤＳＲ（ＤｙｎａｍｉｃＳｔｒｅｓＲｈｅｏｍｅｔｅｒ）对双酚Ａ型环氧树脂在低乳化剂浓度（２３３ｗｔ％）下的相反转乳化过程进行了稳态应力扫描及动态频率扫描实验．实验结果表明,体系在相反转点前表现为牛顿流体行为,粘度几乎不变;相反转点时,体系粘度增加幅度很小,体系的有关动态流变参数（剪切储能模量、损耗模量和复数粘度）均出现极小值,将此归于局部连续水相的润滑作用;进一步加水,体系的动态流变量增加,意味着相反转在相反转点后仍在继续进行．所以,体系在低乳化剂浓度时,发生了不完全相反转．     

Kinetics of phase separation at the early stage of spinodal decomposition in epoxy resin modified with PEI blends

The behavior at the early stage of spinodal decomposition (SD) for polyetherimide (PEI)/epoxy blends was investigated. It was found that the phase separation of PEI/epoxy blends took place by SD mechanism. The development of molar mass in the epoxy resin was gradual and then the three blends could still be considered as concentrated solutions of thermoplastic. The kinetics at the early stage of phase separation for these blends could be described by the Cahn–Hilliard–Cook linearized theory.     

Rheological and phase behavior of polyamidobenzimidazole solutions under the effect of temperature and deformation

The viscosities and phase stabilities of solutions of rigid-chain polyamidobenzimidazole and its copolymer with poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) in dimethylacetamide are investigated during their flow within wide temperature and shear-rate ranges. These systems are characterized by amorphous separation with the lower critical temperature of mixing. In the range of the phase-separation temperature, viscosity passes through a minimum owing to the formation of a microemulsion followed by gelation of the reversible system accompanied by its blurring due to uncompleted phase separation. The temperatures of phase separation and the temperatures of minimum viscosity for the investigated solutions decline with an increase in the polymer concentration and increase with an increase in the shear rate.     

Determination of sulfonamides and trimethoprim using high temperature HPLC with simultaneous temperature and solvent gradient

A fast HPLC method for the analysis of eight selected sulfonamides (SA) and trimethoprim has been developed with the use of high temperature HPLC. The separation could be achieved in less than 1.5 min on a 50 mm sub 2 microm column with simultaneous solvent and temperature gradient programming. Due to the lower viscosity of the mobile phase and the increased mass transfer at higher temperatures, the separation could be performed on a conventional HPLC system obtaining peak widths at half height between 0.6 and 1.3 s.     

pH-Induced structural transitions during complexation and coacervation of beta-lactoglobulin and acacia gum

pH-Induced structural changes during complex coacervation between beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) and Acacia gum (AG) in aqueous solutions were determined by coupling slow in situ acidification of BLG/AG mixed dispersions and different experimental methods. The combined signal evolution of dynamic light scattering at 90 degrees scattering angle (I(90)), electrophoretic mobility, turbidimetry (tau), circular dichroism, and phase contrast microscopy allowed the distinction of critical structural transitions and the definition of their corresponding pH. The formation of soluble BLG/AG complexes was initiated at pH(sc) (4.90), since I(90) and tau significantly increased from the baseline. In parallel or just following complexation, a conformational change of BLG was detected at pH(pct) (4.8). An increase in positive charge density of BLG induced complex aggregation at pH(ca) (4.7). More efficient charge neutralization of aggregated complexes, especially through the lowering of the number of AG negative charges, promoted initiation of phase separation at pH(psi) (4.4). Mixed dispersions became unstable and phase separation occurred at pH(ps) (4.2). The phase separation of mixed dispersions was suggested by the maximum value of scattered light, by an important acceleration of the dispersion turbidity, by a strong increase of hydrodynamic radii, and by the first appearance of light fluctuations as observed by phase contrast microscopy. At the microscopic level, the first coacervates were observed at pH(coa) (4.0), near the pH of the maximum of turbidity. It was also noticed that, from the onset of interactions between biopolymers, the pH decrease led to (i) a gradual homogenization of particle size in the mixed dispersion as suggested by the decrease of dispersion polydispersity and (ii) conformational transitions of the protein (a loss of alpha-helix structure at pH(pct) and a gain in protein secondary structure near pH(coa), probably involving beta-sheet components).     

Features of colloidal disperse structure formation in petroleum bitumen

Temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry has been employed to analyze the structure-related thermal properties of petroleum bitumen. This method enables one to distinguish between “order–disorder” and glass transitions, thereby making it possible to monitor and identify structure-related phase transformations, the signals from which are invisible or overlapped in the thermograms of conventional differential scanning calorimetry. Bitumen has been shown to be a colloidal disperse system only under certain temperature–time conditions. Its dispersed phase may be represented by aggregates of two types with colloidal sizes. Saturated hydrocarbons form a solid crystalline phase in accordance with the regularities of first-order structural phase transitions and nucleation mechanism of phase separation. Asphaltenes and resins form a solid amorphous phase for a relatively long time as a result of a structural relaxation glass transition by the spinodal mechanism of phase separation.     

Polymerization-induced phase separation in polyether-sulfone modified epoxy resin systems: effect of curing reaction mechanism

Polyethersulfone (PES)-modified epoxy systems with stepwise reaction were studied throughout the entire curing process by using optical microscopes, time-resolved light scattering (TRLS), and a rheolometry instrument compared with that of chainwise polymerization. The results suggested that the phase separation process is mainly controlled by the diffusion of epoxy oligomers for stepwise mechanism system and by that of epoxy monomers for chainwise mechanism system. In case of high PES content (SPES-20%) light-scattering results showed a viscoelastic phase separation and the characteristic relaxation time of phase separation can be described well by the WLF equation. However, in the case of low PES content (SPES-14%) secondary phase separation phenomenon was observed by Optical Microscope and further demonstrated by rheological study.