| Abstract: | 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. |
