Abstract
The role of imidazoles in the curing of epoxy resins and their effects on the thermal properties of the network were investigated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry were used to identify and analyze the individual reactions occurring during the cure of the diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A with various 1-unsubstituted imidazoles (2-ethyl-4-methylimidazole and imidazole) and 1-substituted imidazoles (1,2-dimethylimidazole and 1-methylimidazole). Two types of etherification reactions were found to occur in 1-unsubstituted imidazoles. These etherification reactions, which occur at imidazole concentrations of 25.0 mol % or less, are characterized by a rapid increase in the glass transition temperature. The curing mechanism and the glass transition temperature were shown to be strongly dependent on the concentration and on the reactivity of the imidazole.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 99-104 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Macromolecules |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 1 1989 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Organic Chemistry
- Polymers and Plastics
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Materials Chemistry