Cure kinetics of ternary blends of epoxy resins studied by nonisothermal DSC data

The curing kinetics of blends of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), cycloaliphatic epoxy resins, and carboxyl‐terminated butadiene‐acrylonitrile random copolymer (CTBN) in presence of 4,4′‐diamino diphenyl sulfone (DDS) as the curing agent was studied by nonisothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique at different heating rates. The kinetic parameters of the curing process were determined by isoconversional method given by Malek for the kinetic analysis of the data obtained by the thermal treatment. A two‐parameter (m, n) autocatalytic model (Sestak‐Berggren equation) was found to be the most adequate selected to describe the cure kinetics of the studied epoxy resins. The values of E_a were found to be 88.6 kJ mol^?1 and 61.6 kJ mol^?1, respectively, for the studied two sample series. Nonisothermal DSC curves obtained using the experimental data show a good agreement with that theoretically calculated. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Synthesis and characterization of the two novel liquid crystalline epoxy resins based on bisphenol‐s mesogen

Two novel liquid crystalline epoxy resins (LCER) based on bisphenol‐S mesogen, 4,4′‐Bis‐(2,3‐epoxypropyloxy)‐sulfonyl bis(1,4‐phenylene) (p‐BEPSBP) and sulfonyl bis(4,1‐phenylene) bis[4‐(2,3‐epoxypropyloxy)benzoate] (p‐SBPEPB), were synthesized. Their liquid crystalline behavior and structure were characterized by Fourier transmittance infrared ray (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), ¹HNMR, polarized optical microscopy (POM) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that p‐BEPSBP is a kind of thermotropic liquid crystal and has a smectic mesophase with a melting point (T_m) at 165°C; the p‐SBPEPB is a kind of nematic mesophase with the temperature range of 155–302°C from the T_m to the clearing point T_i. The curing behaviors and texture of the liquid crystalline epoxy resins with 4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl ether (DDE) were also studied by DSC and some kinetic parameters were evaluated according to the Ozawa's method. The dynamic mechanical properties of curing products were also investigated by torsional braid analysis (TBA), and the results suggest that the dynamic mechanical loss peak temperature (T_p) of p‐BEPSBP/DDE and p‐SBPEPB/DDE is 120 and 130°C, respectively. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

The synthesis and properties of new epoxy resin containing phosphorus and nitrogen groups for flame retardancy

A new type of epoxy resin, which contained phosphorus oxide and nitrogen groups in the main chain, was synthesized. The structure of the new type of epoxy resin was confirmed by infrared (IR) spectroscopy, ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H‐NMR), and ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopic techniques. In addition, compositions of the new synthesized epoxy resin (TGDMO) with three curing agents, for example, bis(3‐aminophenyl) methylphosphine oxide (BAMP), 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM), and 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS), were used for making a comparison of its curing reactivity, heat, and flame retardancy with that of Epon 828 and DEN 438. The reactivities were measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Through the evaluation of thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), those polymers which were obtained through the curing reactions between the new epoxy resin and three curing agents (BAMP, DDM, and DDS) also demonstrated excellent thermal properties as well as a high char yield. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 413–421, 1999     

Epoxy resin based on 4,4′-dihydroxydiphenysulfone. I. Synthesis and reaction kinetics with 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane and 4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone

Epoxy resins based on 4,4′-dihydroxydiphenylsulfone (DGEBS) and diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) were prepared by alkaline condensation of 4,4′-dihydroxydiphenylsulfone (bisphenol S) with epichlorohydrin and by recrystallization of liquid, commercial bisphenol A-type epoxy resin, respectively. Curing kinetics of the two epoxy compounds with 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM) and with 4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS) as well as T_g values of the cured materials were determined by the DSC method. It was found that the ? SO₂? group both in the epoxy resin and in the harener increases T_g values of the cured materials. DGEBS reacts with the used hardeners faster than does DGEBA and the curing reaction of DGEBS begins at lower temperature than does the curing reaction of DGEBA when the same amine is used. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A simple imide compound as a curing agent for epoxy resin. I. Synthesis and properties

A simple imide compound, 4‐amino‐phthalimide (APH), was synthesized as a curing agent for epoxy resin. APH was prepared from the hydration of 4‐nitro‐phthalimide, which was prepared from the nitration of phthalimide. The chemical structure of APH was verified by IR and ¹H‐NMR spectra. The thermal properties and dielectric constant (ε) of a phosphorus‐containing novolac epoxy resin cured by APH were determined and compared with those of epoxy resins cured by either 4,4′‐diamino diphenyl methane (DDM) or 4,4′‐diamino diphenyl sulfone (DDS). The results indicate that the epoxy resin cured by APH showed better thermal stability and a lower ε than the polymer cured by either DDM or DDS. This was due to the introduction of the imide group of APH into the polymer structure. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Synthesis,characterization, and properties of low viscosity tetra‐functional epoxy resin N,N,N′,N′‐ tetraglycidyl‐3,3′‐diethyl‐4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane

Tetra‐functional epoxy resin N,N,N′,N′‐tetraglycidyl‐3,3′‐diethyl‐4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane (TGDEDDM) was synthesized and characterized. The viscosity of TGDEDDM at 25°C was 7.2 Pa·s, much lower than that of N,N,N′,N′‐tetraglycidyl‐4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane (TGDDM). DSC analysis revealed that the reactivity of TGDEDDM with curing agent 4,4′‐diamino diphenylsulfone (DDS) was significantly lower than that of TGDDM. Owing to its lower viscosity and reactivity, TGDEDDM/DDS exhibited a much wider processing temperature window compared to TGDDM/DDS. Trifluoroborane ethylamine complex (BF₃‐MEA) was used to promote the curing of TGDEDDM/DDS to achieve a full cure, and the thermal and mechanical properties of the cured TGDEDDM were investigated and compared with those of the cured TGDDM. It transpired that, due to the introduction of ethyl groups, the heat resistance and flexural strength were reduced, while the modulus was enhanced. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2014 , 131, 40009.     

Synthesis of liquid crystalline epoxy and its mechanical and electrical characteristics—curing reaction of LCE with diamines by DSC analysis

An aromatic liquid crystalline epoxy monomer based on biphenyl mesogen was synthesized and cured with three different aromatic diamines. The curing reaction characteristics were analyzed by DSC, and the data were introduced to the Kissinger equation to attain the kinetic parameters. Diglycidyl ether of 4,4′‐biphenyl (DGEBP)/4,4′‐diaminobiphenyl (DABP), and DGEBP/4,4′‐methylenediamine (MDA) systems showed an exotherm curing reaction after comelting of the monomers; the DGEBP/p‐phenylenediamine (PDA) system's curing reaction took place in the solid state without melting of monomers. The activation energy and preexponential factor for the DGEBP/DABP system were 55.6 kJ/mol and 4.0 × 10⁶ min^?1, respectively. Those values for DGEBP/MDA and DGEBP/PDA systems were 55.1 kJ/mol and 1.0 × 10⁶ min^?1 and 148.8 kJ/mol and 7.7 × 10¹⁹ min^?1, respectively. The rate constant at 100°C for DGEBP/PDA is 2 times higher than those for DGEBP/DABP and DGEBP/MDA, which have almost the same values. Strictly speaking, the rate constant of DGEBP/DABP is a little higher than that of DGEBP/MDA, and these results are in good agreement with the DSC curves. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 2419–2425, 2002     

Curing kinetics and reaction‐induced homogeneity in networks of poly(4‐vinyl phenol) and diglycidylether epoxide cured with amine

Mixtures of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol‐A (DGEBA) epoxy resin with poly(4‐vinyl phenol) (PVPh) of various compositions were examined with a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), using the curing agent 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS). The phase morphology of the cured epoxy blends and their curing mechanisms depended on the reactive additive, PVPh. Cured epoxy/PVPh blends exhibited network homogeneity based on a single glass transition temperature (T_g) over the whole composition range. Additionally, the morphology of these cured PVPh/epoxy blends exhibited a homogeneous network when observed by optical microscopy. Furthermore, the DDS‐cure of the epoxy blends with PVPh exhibited an autocatalytic mechanism. This was similar to the neat epoxy system, but the reaction rate of the epoxy/polymer blends exceeded that of neat epoxy. These results are mainly attributable to the chemical reactions between the epoxy and PVPh, and the regular reactions between DDS and epoxy. Polym. Eng. Sci. 45:1–10, 2005. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Properties of Multifunctional Epoxy Maleimide Resins

Summary: Novel multifunctional formaldehyde resins bearing diaminodiphenylmethane groups are synthesized by the polymerization of a mixture of diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM), o‐cresol (o‐Cz), and cyclohexanone (CH_x) with formaldehyde (FA) (at a molar ratio of monomers/formaldehyde, 1/1), in the presence of acid catalyst (HCl). The obtained resins are epoxidated with a large excess of epichlorohydrin and transformed into multifunctional epoxy resins. The multifunctional epoxy maleimide resins are obtained by reaction of the epoxy resins with carboxy phenyl maleimide in the presence of triethylamine as a catalyst. The resultant resins are characterized by IR and NMR spectroscopy, elemental, and thermal analysis. The curing and thermal behavior of these epoxy maleimide resin/DDM systems are investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG) techniques. The activation energies of the curing reactions are situated in the range of 53–90 kJ · mol^?1. The cured products have good thermal properties, and activation energies of degradation reactions have values between 42–74 kJ · mol^?1.

The curing reaction of multifunctional epoxy maleimide resins with DDM.     

Amine-terminated oligoimides for epoxy curing

Oligoimides of N,N′,-4,4′-bismaleimidodiphenyl ether (DDEBM) and 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM) were prepared by the Michael addition reaction. The synthesized oligoimides (DDEBM–DDM) were characterized for their molecular structure by elemental analysis and IR spectroscopy. The number-average molecular weight (M _n) was determined by nonaqueous conductometric titration. Thermal characteristics were studied by thermogravimetry. Use of DDEBM–DDM oligomers as a curing agent for epoxy resin was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The resin curing of the epoxy was monitored by the change in oxirane spectral band in the IR spectrum. Glass fiber reinforced composites of DDEBM–DDM-epoxy were prepared and evaluated for their physical and chemical properties. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Torsional braid analysis of the aromatic amine cure of epoxy resins

The cure behavior of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) type of epoxy resins with three aromatic diamines, 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl methane (DDM), 4,4′-diaminodiphenyl sulfone (44DDS), and 3,3′-diaminodiphenyl sulfone (33DDS) was studied by torsional braid analysis. For each curing agent the stoichiometry of the resin mixtures was varied from a two to one excess of amino hydrogens per epoxy group to a two to one excess of epoxy groups per amino hydrogen. Isothermal cures of the resin mixtures were carried out from 70 to 210°C (range depending on epoxy—amine mixture), followed by a temperature scan to determine the glass transition temperature (T_g). The times to the isothermal liquid-to-rubber transition were shortest for the DDM mixtures and longest for the 44DDS mixtures. The liquid-to-rubber transition times were also shortest for the amine excess mixtures when stoichiometry was varied. A relatively rapid reaction to the liquid-to-rubber transition was observed for the epoxy excess mixtures, followed by an exceedingly slow reaction process at cure temperatures well above the T_g. This slow process was only observed for epoxy excess mixtures and eventually led to significant increases in T_g. Using time—temperature shifts of the glass transition temperature vs. logarithm of time, activation energies approximately 50% higher were derived for this process compared to those derived from the liquid-to-rubber transition. The rate of this reaction was virtually independent of curing agent and was attributed to etherification taking place in the epoxy excess mixtures. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Structure and properties of novel epoxy resins containing naphthalene units and aliphatic chains

Two novel epoxy resins; namely, R1 and R2 were synthesized and characterized. These two resins were isomers and both contained naphthalene units and two symmetric flexible aliphatic ester chains terminated by epoxy groups. To investigate the influence of different structural isomers on the performance of these epoxy resins, they were both cured with various curing agents which results in the choosing of 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM) as the optimized curing agent. The curing technical temperature was obtained from extrapolated plots of T–β curve at different heating rates. The kinetic parameters, the activation energy (E _a) and the reaction order (n) were deduced by Kissnger’s isoconversional method and Crane equation. The moisture absorption and mechanical and thermal properties of the cured epoxy resins were investigated. Experimental results indicated that the R1/DDM and R2/DDM epoxy resins displayed improved mechanical performance without significant decrease in their important inherent properties, e.g., temperature of glass transition (T _g), moisture absorption and thermal properties when compared with the corresponding commercial biphenyl-type epoxy resins. The average inter-segment distances in R1/DDM and R2/DDM systems were 4.46 and 4.88 Å, respectively, which were measured by wide-angle X-ray diffraction. The result showed R1/DDM (1,5-di-substituted) was strongly hindered in comparison with R2/DDM (2,7-di-substituted) and E _a and T _g values of the R1/DDM were slightly higher than those of R2/DDM. Furthermore, mechanical properties and moisture absorption of the R1/DDM were lower than those of R2/DDM. Nevertheless, the position of the substituent only weakly affected the thermal properties and the reaction order (n).     

Reaction kinetics of epoxy resin modified with reactive and nonreactive thermoplastic copolymers

An epoxy resin system based on a triglycidyl p‐amino phenol (MY0510) was crosslinked using stoichiometric amounts of 4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl sulfone. The epoxy was modified with random copolymers, polyethersulfone‐poly(ether‐ethersulfone) (PES:PEES), with either amine or chlorine end groups, at 10 and 20 wt %. The reaction kinetics for both unmodified and modified epoxy systems were studied using differential scanning calorimetry in isothermal and dynamic conditions. The results show that the degree of conversion in thermoplastic‐modified epoxies at any reaction time is smaller compared with the unmodified resin. Gel point (GP) determination was done from rheological measurements. The modified system containing 20% of the PES:PEES additive showed considerable increase in the GP. The reaction rate shows the characteristic of an autocatalytic reaction where the product acts as catalyst. The activation energy, E_a calculated from the isothermal reaction depends on the extent of conversion and increases with increasing PES:PEES content. For unmodified epoxy system, the average E_a is 67.8 ± 4.1 kJ mol^?1 but for systems modified with 20 wt % of amine and chlorine PES:PEES, the value increased to 74.1 ± 3.3 and 77.9 ± 4.4 kJ mol^?1, respectively. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Epoxy resin containing the poly(sily ether): Preparation,morphology, and mechanical properties

The poly(sily ether) with pendant chloromethyl groups (PSE) was synthesized by the polyaddition of dichloromethylsilane (DCM) and diglycidylether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) with tetrabutylammonium chloride (TBAC) as a catalyst. This polymer was miscible with diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), the precursor of epoxy resin. The miscibility is considered to be due mainly to entropy contribution because the molecular weight of DGEBA is quite low. The blends of epoxy resin with PSE were prepared through in situ curing reaction of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM) in the presence of PSE. The DDM‐cured epoxy resin/PSE blends with PSE content up to 40 wt % were obtained. The reaction started from the initial homogeneous ternary mixture of DGEBA/DDM/PSE. With curing proceeding, phase separation induced by polymerization occurred. PSE was immiscible with the 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane‐cured epoxy resin (ER) because the blends exhibited two separate glass transition temperatures (T_gs) as revealed by the means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). SEM showed that all the ER/PSE blends are heterogeneous. Depending on blend composition, the blends can display PSE‐ or epoxy‐dispersed morphologies, respectively. The mechanical test showed that the DDM‐cured ER/PSE blend containing 25 wt % PSE displayed a substantial improvement in Izod impact strength, i.e., epoxy resin was significantly toughened. The improvement in impact toughness corresponded to the formation of PSE‐dispersed phase structure. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 505–512, 2003     

Structure characterization,reactivity, and thermal properties of new cyclic phosphine oxide epoxy resin containing tetra-oxirane rings

A new type of epoxy resin, which contained cyclic phosphine oxide and tetra-oxirane rings in the main chain, was synthesized. The structure of the new type of epoxy resin was confirmed by elemental analyses (EA), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopies. In addition, compositions of the new synthesized cyclic phosphine oxide epoxy resin (TGCAO) with three curing agents, for example, bis(3-aminophenyl)ethylphosphine oxide (BEMP), 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM), and 4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS) were used for making a comparison of its curing reactivity, heat, and flame retardancy with those of Epon 828 and DEN438. The reactivities were measured by differential scanning calorimetry. Through the evaluation of thermal gravimetric analysis, those polymers, which were obtained through the curing reactions between the new epoxy resin and three curing agents (BEMP, DDM, and DDS), also demonstrated adequate thermal propeties, as well as a high char yield. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 68: 1397–1409, 1998     

Kinetics of Curing and Thermal Degradation of POSS Epoxy Resin/DDS System

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes epoxy resin (POSSER) was prepared from 3-glycidypropyl-trimethoxysilane (GTMS) and tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) by hydrolytic condensation. POSSER was characterized using Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ¹H-NMR, and liquid chromagraphy/mass spectrometry (LC/MS). The epoxy value of POSSER is 0.50 mol/100 g. The LC/MS analysis indicated that T₁₀ is the majority and contain some amount of T₈, besides, a trace T₉ also exists. The curing kinetics of POSSER with 4,4′-diaminodipheny sulfone (DDS) as a curing agent was investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The curing reaction order n is 0.8841 and the activation energy Ea is 61.06 kJ/mol from dynamic DSC analysis. Thermal stability and kinetics of thermal degradation were also studied by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). TGA results indicated that the temperature of POSSE/DDS system 5% weight loss is approximately 377.0°C, which is higher by 12.6°C than that of pure POSSER, and the primary degradation reaction (300–465°C) followed first order kinetics; the activation energy of degradation reaction is 75.81 kJ/mol.     

Cure kinetics of multifunctional epoxies with 2,2′‐dichloro‐4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane as hardener

The curing behavior of the epoxy resin N,N,N′,N′‐tetraglycidyldiaminodiphenyl methane (TGDDM) with triglycidyl p‐aminophenol as a reactive diluent was investigated using 2,2′‐dichloro‐4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane (DCDDM) as the curing agent. The effect of the curing agent on the kinetics of curing, shelf‐life, and thermal stability in comparison with a TGDDM‐diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS) system was studied. The results showed a lesser activation energy at the lower level of conversion with a broader cure exotherm for the epoxy‐DCDDM system in comparison with the epoxy‐DDS system, although the overall activation energy for the two systems was comparable. TGA studies showed more stability in the epoxy‐DCDDM system than in the epoxy‐DDS system. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 2097–2103, 2000     

Reaction kinetics and thermal properties of epoxidised cresol novolac/4,4′‐diglycidyl (3,3′,5,5′‐tetramethylbiphenyl) epoxy resin composite cured with aromatic diamine

A series of novel composites based on different ratios of epoxidised cresol novolac (ECN) and 4,4′‐diglycidyl(3,3′,5,5′‐tetramethylbiphenyl) epoxy resin (TMBP) have been prepared with the curing agent 4,4′‐methylenediamine (DDM) and 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS), respectively. The investigation of cure kinetics was performed by differential scanning calorimetry using an isoconversional method. The high thermal stabilities of the cured samples were also studied by thermogravimetric analysis. In addition, no phase separation was observed for cured ECN/DDM and ECN/DDS blending with different amounts of TMBP by dynamic mechanical analysis and scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, the cured systems also exhibited excellent impact properties and low moisture absorption. All the results indicate that the ECN/TMBP/DDM and ECN/TMBP/DDS systems are promising materials in electronic packaging. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Properties of Epon 828 resin cured by cyclic phosphine oxide tetra acid

A new phosphorylated epoxy polymer was obtained using Epon 828 resin cured with a phosphorus-containing curing agent, 10-phenylphenoxaphosphine-2,3,7,8-tetracarboxylic acid-10-oxide (PDAC). In addition, compositions of Epon 828 with common curing agents, for example, 4,4′-diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM) and 4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS), were used for making a comparison of its curing reactivity, heat, and flame retardation with that of PDAC. The reactivites of the three curing agents toward Epon 828, as measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), was in the following order: DDM > PDAC > DDS. Through thermal gravimetric analysis evaluation (TGA), the thermal and flame resistance of epoxy polymers were confirmed in this study as capable of being improved through introduction of the cyclic phosphine oxide group into the carboxyl curing agent structure. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 70: 1877–1885, 1998     

Curing kinetics and thermal property characterization of a bisphenol‐S epoxy resin and DDS system

The kinetics of the cure reaction for a system of bisphenol‐S epoxy resin (BPSER), with 4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl sulfone (DDS) as a curing agent was investigated with a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Autocatalytic behaviour was observed in the first stages of the cure which can well be described by the model proposed by Kamal, using two rate constants, k₁ and k₂, and two reaction orders, m and n. The overall reaction order, m + n, is in the range 2∼2.5, and the activation energy for k₁ and k₂ was 86.26 and 65.13 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. In the later stages, a crosslinked network was formed and diffusion control was incorporated to describe the cure. The glass transition temperature (T_g) of the BPSER/DDS samples partially cured isothermally was determined by means of torsional braid analysis (TBA) and the results showed that the reaction rate increased with increasing T_g, in terms of rate constant, but decreased with increasing conversion. It was also found that the  SO₂ group both in the epoxy resin and in the hardener increases the T_g values of the cured materials compared with that of BPAER. The thermal degradation kinetics of this system was investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It illustrated that the thermal degradation of BPSER/DDS has nth order reaction kinetics. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry