Estimating the molecular mass between epoxy-amine network junctions from glass-transition-temperature data

The average molecular mass between network junctions is estimated for several epoxy-amine systems of various compositions with comparable molecular masses of the epoxy oligomer and the curing agent. This estimation is based on the experimental data on glass-transition temperatures of curing epoxy-amine mixtures. The constant that relates these physicochemical characteristics is dependent on the nature of the epoxy-amine system and the rigidity of polymer chains located between network junctions. Correlations are found between the constant and the glass-transition temperature of the crosslinked epoxy-amine system and between the constant and the difference in the glass-transition temperatures of uncured and ultimately cured epoxy-amine systems.