Kinetics of the curing reaction of selected epoxy resin-amine systems

Abstract

The paper is a review of authors' research works on curing reaction of some commercial and synthesized by them epoxy resins (among others - with liquid crystalline fragments). As curing agents 5 aromatic diamines differing in chemical structure were used. The results of investigation of curing kinetics by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) confirm the significant effect of heating rate (up to 20°C/min) on the process. It was found, for example, that for small heating rate (2-5°C/min) DSC thermograms of epoxy resins with liquid crystalline fragments show double exothermic peak contrary to the thermograms of typical epoxy resins showing single exothermic peaks. This phenomenon is attributed to the formation of smectic structure during the curing (at temp. 132-162°C). Usefulness of three various kinetic models (by Barret, Borchardt - Daniels or Kissinger) describing the curing process investigated have been compared.