One-pot synthesis of epoxy resin composite: thermal, rheological and Monte Carlo investigations

Abstract

This paper describes the design and synthesis of a new epoxy resin, bisphenol A tetraglycidyl dipropoxy dianiline ether (TGEDADPBA), and its application as an organic matrix in developing new composite materials. 1H along with 13C nuclear magnetic resonance as well as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) utilizing attenuated total reflection were used to determine the structure of the TGEDADPBA epoxide. In two stages, the epoxy resin was produced with a high yield: aniline, as well as diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), were reacted, and the resultant product was then condensed with epichlorohydrin in the presence of triethylamine. Various properties of the synthesized epoxy resin and its composites were investigated using different analytical techniques. The thermal stability, morphology, rheology, and viscosity of TGEDADPBA epoxy resins and their composites were investigated using ATG, SEM, RHM01-RD HAAKE rheometer, and Ubbelohde VB-1423 capillary viscometer, respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis findings indicate that the various composites TGEDADPBA/MDA/ZnO made with varying ZnO mass fractions (0, 1, 5, and 10%) and including methylene dianiline (MDA) as hardener along with zinc oxide (ZnO) as filler exhibit improved thermal characteristics as the zinc oxide content rises. Rheological evaluations show that the storage modulus (G′) and the loss modulus (G″) of all the composites formed increase with the amount of zinc oxide added as reinforcement. In addition, photographs of the various composites studied show excellent dispersion of the zinc oxide filler. Furthermore, the thermal conductivity of the prepared TGEDADPBA/MDA/ZnO composites was simulated using Monte Carlo (MC) modeling. The findings demonstrate that ZnO considerably raises the composites’ thermal conductivity, while this thermal conductivity rises in proportion to the weight percentage of ZnO. Graphical abstract: (Figure presented.)