Kinetic and thermodynamic studies of an epoxy system diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A/1, 2 diamine cyclohexane/calcium carbonate filler

The curing reaction of an epoxy system consisting of a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (BADGE n = 0) and 1,2‐diaminecyclohexane (DCH) with a calcium carbonate filler was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and using a scanning electronic microscope (SEM). As a first stage, the optimum content of the filler determined was 20%. From a kinetic study, in which two models were used, parameters such as reaction orders, rate constants, and activation energies were determined. A thermodynamic study allowed calculation of enthalpy (ΔH^#), entropy (ΔS^#), and free‐energy ((ΔG^#) changes. The results were compared to those obtained for the same epoxy systems without the filler. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 75: 291–305, 2000