N-acryloyl–N′-phenylpiperazine as curing activator of unsaturated resins

N-acryloyl–N′-phenylpiperazine and three of its homopolymers of different molecular weight are tested as low toxicity redox activators in the BPO curing of unsaturated polyester resins. Gel times and other time and temperature parameters drawn from standard exothermal curves are determined with two kinds of resin, at different bath temperatures and amounts of activator. The reciprocal of gel time follows a kinetic equation with average order 0.85 with respect to the activator, and an activation energy of 19 kcal/mol. With polymeric activators it is a simple decreasing exponential function of intrinsic viscosity. Correlations are observed for other parameters relative to the second, faster step of the curing process, in general less sensitive to the mentioned variables. The crosslinked resins show mechanical properties similar to those obtainable with dimethylaniline as activator.     

Microgelation in the curing reaction of unsaturated polyester resins

A series of unsaturated polyesters were synthesized with various chemical structures and molecular weights. These unsaturated polyesters were used to study the curing reaction with styrene by using gel permeation chromatography and differential scanning calorimetry. The variation of the size of microgel particles during the curing reaction in unsaturated polyester–styrene resins was studied by using gel permeation chromatography. The size and structure of the microgels depend strongly on the polymer chain length and the number of vinyl groups on each unsaturated polyester chain. Using the differential scanning calorimetric method, the conversion of styrene and polyester vinyl groups during the reaction was measured. The experimental results of this study revealed that microgel formation has a great effect on the curing reaction of unsaturated polyester resins. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Analysis of volumetric changes of unsaturated polyester resins during curing

Two models were proposed to predict the volume changes that occur during the cure of unsaturated polyester resin/styrene systems. These models are able to account for both thermal expansions/contractions and polymerization shrinkage during processing. One model, which is based on coversion, was developed by combining experimental results from differential scanning calorimetry and dilatometry. The second model is based on radical concentration, and was developed using results from electron spin resonance spectroscopy and dilatometry. Predictions obtained from both models were compared with experimental results and reasonable agreement was obtained.     

Effect of dual-initiator on low temperature curing of unsaturated polyester resins

In low temperature composite manufacturing processes, a major concern is how to control the resin gel time and cure time and how to achieve a high resin conversion with low residual volatile organic chemicals. In this study, a cobalt promoter catalyzed dual-initiator system was used to control the reaction rate and resin conversion of unsaturated polyester resins. A mechanistic kinetic model was developed to predict the reaction kinetics with dual initiators. This model can be used to simulate the isothermal and dynamic reaction rate and conversion profiles. It can also be utilized to predict the effect of promoter concentration on UP resin cured at low temperatures. The dual-initiator system was applied in the vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding process at room temperature. The kinetic model, in conjunction with the heat transfer analysis, was able to successfully predict the temperature profiles during the molding processes.     

Multifunctional formaldehyde resins as curing agent for epoxy resins

Formaldehyde resins (FR) at 1/1/2 molar ratios of monomers (Cl‐phenol/amino monomers/p‐formaldehyde) were synthesized under acid catalysis. The obtained resins were characterized using elemental analysis, FTIR and RMN spectroscopic methods, being used as crosslinking agents for epoxy resin formulations. The curing of epoxy resins with FR were investigated. The glass transition temperature (T_g) and decomposition behavior of crosslinked resins were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric (TGA) techniques. All DSC scans show two exothermic peaks, which implied the occurrence of cure reactions between epoxy ring and amine or carboxylic protons, in function of chemical structures of FR. The crosslinked products showed good thermal properties, high glass transitions, and low water absorption. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

The effect of pressure on the curing behavior of unsaturated polyester resins

The effect of pressure on the curing behavior of unsaturated polyester resin was investigated, both experimentally and theoretically. The resin used was a general-purpose unsaturated polyester resin and the initiator used was t-butyl perbenzoate. A series of isothermal runs with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were made at various levels of cure pressure. It was found that the rate of cure was retarded under pressure, and that the ultimate degree of cure went through a maximum at a certain pressure as the cure pressure was increased from atmospheric pressure to 6.21 MPa (900 psi). It was interpreted that pressure has two competing effects on the curing behavior of unsaturated polyester resin; one is a free volume effect that hinders the curing reaction and the other is a thermodynamic effect that favors it. Therefore, when the pressure is higher than a certain level, the free volume effect becomes predominant over the thermodynamic effect, the ultimate degree of cure diminishing as the cure pressure is increased beyond that level. Theoretical interpretation of the experimental results is given, using a mechanistic kinetic model developed in our previous publication.     

Effects of low-profile additives on the curing reaction of unsaturated polyester resins

The effect of low-profile additives (LPA), i.e., poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAC) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), on the curing reaction of unsaturated polyester (UPE) resins was studied by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The curing reaction profiles were determined by DSC, while GPC was used to investigate the variation of the sizes of microgel particles during the early stage of curing reaction in UPE–styrene resins. The DSC experimental results indicated that the curing reaction rate decreased as the concentration of LPA increased. At a fixed LPA concentration, the curing reaction rate was slower for resins mixed with LPA possessing worse compatibility with UPE resins. During the early stage of curing reaction, the size and structure of the UPE microgels formation strongly depended on the concentration of LPA and also on the compatibility of the components in the curing system. The experimental results of this study revealed that the concentration of LPA and the compatibility of LPA with UPE resins had a strong influence on the polyester microgel formation and the curing behavior. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Effect of resin composition on curing kinetic of nanoclay-reinforced unsaturated polyester resins

Curing behavior of two resins of different unsaturated polyesters [FARAPOL 101 (UF) and Bushpol 81715 (UB)] containing 3 wt % organically modified clay (OMC), catalyzed with methyl ethyl ketone peroxide as initiator and promoted by cobalt naphtenate accelerator was investigated by dynamic differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and gel time test methods. Chemical structures of UF and UB resins were characterized by ¹H NMR, XRD and TEM techniques were used for morphology characterization of nanocomposites. DSC results showed that after adding OMC, the redox reaction rate of UF increased less than that of UB resin. Measurements of cloud-point temperature (T _c) indicated that the miscibility of styrene/UB alkyd chains was more than that of styrene/UF alkyd chains. Therefore, the alkyd/styrene ratio inside the platelets in UB would be more than that in the platelets in UF nanocomposite. Among the three factors in redox reaction rate of UB/OMC and UF/OMC systems namely: (1) decreasing alkyd-styrene copolymerization share among platelets of OMC, (2) decreasing the activation energy, (3) decreasing the number of collisions, the first one was more effective in UF/OMC system than in UB/OMC system. Consequently, the difference between redox reaction rates of UF/OMC and neat UF was negligible compared with the corresponding difference for UB/OMC and neat UB system.     

The curing of unsaturated polyester resins in adiabatic reactors and heated molds

The influence of several process parameters on the curing of multipurpose unsaturated polyesters with styrene, in heated molds, is discussed. The polymerization kinetics was studied in a quasi-adiabatic reactor taking into account corrections for heat losses. The following expression resulted: dx/dt = k′[I](1 ? x)³ exp(?16.6/RT), where x is the conversion of unsaturated bonds and [I] is the initial initiator concentration (benzoyl peroxide); cobalt octoate was used as an accelerator. Specimens were cured in two kinds of heated molds (one jacketed and the other electrically heated), and temperature profiles recorded. The temperature increase at the midplane showed a maximum when plotted as a function of the reaction rate (Arrhenius preexponential factor), in agreement with previous theoretical predictions. The temperature increase was enhanced for a thermally initiated reaction.     

Theoretical and experimental conversion in the curing of unsaturated polyester resins with styrene as a crosslinking agent

The reaction of unsaturated polyester resin is a free radical copolymerization between the styrene monomer and the unsaturated polyester. Depending on the temperature and other processing conditions, some of the reacting molecular species remain, after curing, in the form of residual monomer and soluble polymer that do not contribute to the network structure. By means of DSC and gel permeation chromatography (G.P.C.) techniques, we have investigated the differences between theoretical and experimental reaction heats of unsaturated polyester samples with different styrene/polyester ratios, the residual species formed, and the conversion of reactive groups.     

N-苯马来酰亚胺改性不饱和聚酯树脂

研究了N-苯基马来酰亚胺(NPMI)在苯乙烯中的溶解规律,即NPMI在苯乙烯中溶解度呈线性关系:5~35℃时,S=0.1t;40~60℃时,S=4.2+2.2t。NPMI的引入可以有效提高不饱和聚酯(UP)树脂的耐热性,NPMI用量在1%~9%,可以将UP树脂的热变形温度提高4.5℃。研究了NPMI用量对UP树脂浇注体拉伸强度和冲击强度的影响,对材料冲击断面进行了SEM表征。NPMI用量为2%时,材料的拉伸强度最大,提高了5.5%,达到67.3 MPa;NPMI用量为6%时,材料的冲击强度最大,提高了23%,达到8.6 kJ/m2。     

成分比例不同的MEKP固化不饱和聚酯树脂研究

通过45,50,55和60℃等温DSC固化研究了成分(过氧化氢、MEKP单体和二聚体)比例不同的过氧化甲乙酮(MEKP)对不饱和聚酯树脂(UP)固化诱导期、峰值时间和固化率的影响,并讨论了固化引发机理。结果发现,过氧化氢质量分数较少、单体和二聚体质量比为1.5∶1的MEKP对UP固化有利。     

The effect of resin chemistry on the curing behavior and chemorheology of unsaturated polyester resins

The effect of the structure of unsaturated polyester resin on its curing and rheological behavior during isothermal cure has been investigated, using three different grades of resin. In the investigation, the structure of the resins was determined, using nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry (NMR), together with chemical analysis. Both a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and an infrared (IR) spectrometer were used to determine the curing kinetics, and a cone-and-plate rheometer was used to determine the variation of rheological properties during isothermal cure. On the basis of the experimental study, we have concluded: (1) at the same styrene-to-fumarate mole ratio, the resin having isophthalates cures slower than the one having none; (2) everything else being equal, the resin having a high styrene-to-fumarate mole ratio cures faster than the resin having a low one; (3) the higher the concentration of initiator, the faster a resin cures. It has been found that a resin that cures faster does not necessarily achieve a higher final degree of cure than one that cures slowly. We have found that a mechanistic kinetic model developed in our previous investigation is very useful for investigating the reactivity of unsaturated polyester resin, by determining the rate constant and activation energy of the propagation reaction. On the basis of rheological investigation, we have concluded that both t_η∞ determined from steady shearing flow measurement and t_{tan δ = 1} determined from oscillatory shearing flow measurement may be used as a measure of gel time.     

Boron difluoride chelates as catalysts for curing epoxy resins

BF₂-chelates are powerful polymerisation catalysts for epoxy resins; derivatives of β-diketones and of β-ketoamides are especially interesting as ‘latent’ hardeners. Comparison of these metal halide chelates with BF₃-amine complexes in various epoxy systems has shown the chelates to be superior in several respects. Particular advantages are the ease with which reactivity can be varied by choice of chelate structure and by addition of moderators, and the reduced sensitivity to atmospheric moisture during cure. Use of BF₂-Chelates also gives cured products with better electrical properties, and in many cases better mechanical properties, than with BF₃-amine complexes.     

Crown ethers as new curing agents for epoxy resins

Different crown ethers (4‐aminobenzo‐15‐crown‐5 (4‐aminobenzo‐15‐C5), 1,4,10,13‐tetraoxa‐7,16‐diazacyclooctadecane (diaza‐18‐crown‐6), tetraazacyclododecane‐1,4,7,10‐tetraacetic acid (H₄DOTA) and tetraazacyclododecane‐1,4,7,10‐tetraacetamide (H₂ODDA)) were used as curing agent for bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE, n = 0). The maximum enthalpy change for all systems except that formed by the epoxy resin with H₄DOTA corresponds to a stoichiometric ratio, since from this value the reaction enthalpies decrease when the proportion of epoxy increases. Heteropolymerization reaction occurs in all the crown ethers. Etherification reactions occur at temperatures much lower (30 °C less) than for the porphyrin systems studied in which a second signal appears at 300 °C. The etherification is evidenced by a slight shoulder in the thermograms for H₄DOTA and H₂ODDA. The systems BADGE (n = 0)/4‐aminobenzo‐15‐C5 and BADGE (n = 0)/diaza‐18‐crown‐6 improve the thermal stability of the epoxy resin by 30 °C approximately while the improvement for BADGE (n = 0)/H₄DOTA and BADGE (n = 0)/H₂ODDA is about 60 °C. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry     

Kinetics of the curing reaction of unsaturated polyester resins catalyzed with new initiators and a promoter

In this article, the curing of unsaturated polyester resins catalyzed with a promoter [cobalt(II) octoate] and free‐radical initiators is presented. The new initiators were formed by the oxidation process of ethyl methyl ketone or cyclohexanone with hydrogen peroxide and the mixture of solvents containing hydroxyl groups. As a reference, a typical curing system containing ethyl methyl ketone hydroperoxide (Luperox) and the promoter was used. The differential scanning calorimetry runs were performed at different heating rates. The experimental data were fitted with the empirical kinetic model. First, the kinetic parameters (activation energy, frequency factor, and reaction order) were obtained with a single reactive process and with the nth‐order reaction f(α), the nth‐order reaction f(α) with autocatalysis, and the first‐order reaction f(α) with autocatalysis. Second, two or three different reactive processes with the nth‐order reaction f(α) for each step were used. The obtained values of the activation energies for the curing of the unsaturated polyester resins with the free radical initiator–cobalt(II) salt catalytic system were in the range 40–60 kJ/mol for the polymerization initiated by the redox decomposition of the initiators and 80–90 kJ/mol for the polymerization initiated by the thermal decomposition of the initiators at high temperatures. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 1870–1876, 2006     

Chemorheology of thermosetting resins. I. The chemorheology and curing kinetics of unsaturated polyester resin

The rheological properties and curing kinetics of a general-purpose polyester resin have been determined during isothermal cure. Both steady and oscillatory shearing flow properties were determined using a cone-and-plate rheometer, and the curing kinetics were determined using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). It was found that, as cure progresses, the steady shear viscosity increases very rapidly with cure time at all shear rates investigated, and normal forces show negative values at low shear rates and positive values at high shear rates. The observed negative normal forces are believed to result from material shrinkage during cure, and positive normal forces from the deformation of large molecules, formed by crosslinking reactions during cure. Note that, in a cone-and-plate rheometer, the shrinkage force acts in the direction opposite to that of normal forces. It is, therefore, concluded that extreme caution is needed in the interpretation of normal force measurements with thermosetting resins, subjected to steady shearing flow. Dynamic measurements seem to offer some insight on the onset of gel formation. More specifically, we have found that, when the unsaturated polyester resin was cured at a fast rate, the time at which a maximum in the loss modulus G” occurs coincides reasonably well with the time t_η∞ at which the steady shear viscosity η approaches infinity. However, at a slow rate of cure, the time at which tan δ equals unity agrees fairly well with t_η∞. DSC measurement has permitted us to determine the degree of cure as a function of cure time and the kinetic parameters in an empirical expression for the curing kinetics advanced by Kamal and co-workers. By combining the rheological and DSC measurements, we have constructed plots describing how the viscosity increases with the degree of cure, at various values of isothermal curing temperature.     

预浸料用中温固化环氧树脂体系的制备

中温固化环氧树脂基复合材料具有成型温度适中、成型周期短、韧性高等优点,是复合材料应用领域的研究热点。通过筛选不同牌号环氧树脂,调节配方中树脂、固化剂、增韧剂以及增塑剂的含量,研制出一种中温固化并适用于热熔法制备预浸料的环氧树脂体系。考察了树脂体系的胶膜状态、黏度-温度曲线、DSC曲线特性,最终选定的树脂配方为双酚A型环氧树脂CYD-011、双酚A环氧树脂E-44与邻甲酚醛环氧树脂CYDCN-205的质量比为3∶5∶2。对由其制备的预浸料和复合材料的力学性能进行了测试,结果表明,由该树脂体系制备的预浸料综合性能优异,具有强度高、韧性好和适用期长等特点,各项指标均很好地满足了厂家对材料的要求。     

Waterborne unsaturated polyester resins

The transformation of solvent soluble unsaturated polyester resins into resins able to form stable water dispersion is presented in this paper. The methods of modification are discussed, consisting of the introduction of polar hydrophilic groups such as carboxylic and sulfonic ones (sodium 5‐sulfonatoisophthalic acid) into the resin molecule, which ensure good tolerance with water. Instead of styrene, glycerol monoethers of allyl alcohol and unsaturated fatty alcohols were used as reactive built‐in crosslinking monomers for resin modification. The influence of the resin composition and method of synthesis on the dispersion stability and properties of photocurable lacquer coatings obtained from the waterborne resins were investigated.