| Abstract: | The acrylated diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-S was prepared by reacting diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-S (DGEBS) with acrylic acid using dimethyl benzylamine as a catalyst. The acrylated epoxy resin thus obtained was characterized by IR, 13C-NMR, and DSC. The curing reaction of the acrylated epoxy resin with dicumyl peroxide was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry at three different heating rates. The overall curing kinetics were found to be approximately second order, independent of the scan rate. The TGA was used to investigate the thermal decomposition of acrylated epoxy resin and to determine the kinetic parameters such as activation energy, preexponential factor, and reaction order. Such information can be used for quick estimation of polymer lifetimes. |
