The application of waste toner material as a filler for the synthesis of composites based on Epidian® 5

Abstract

The reprocessing of polymeric waste materials is an important issue from an environmental point of view. This paper presents the synthesis and characterization of epoxy resin based composites with the application of waste powder from toner (laser printer) as a filler (10 wt.%). The use of waste filler is part of a sustainable economy. For the synthesis of composites, epoxy resin (Epidian® 5) and three amines (ethylenediamine, triethylenetetramine and aniline) were applied. The presence of the amines compounds in the samples was confirmed by the ATR/FT-IR spectra on which were noted the stretching vibrations band the C-N groups around 1037 cm-1. Materials were analyzed by the TG/DTG and DSC analysis, which showed the influence of kind the crosslinking agent and the presence of filler on their thermal properties. The glass transition (Tg) of materials occurs in the temperature range from 39.8 to 64.2°C. The highest values were achieved for the triethylenetetramine (TETA), which indicates the highest cross-linking of this composite. It has been shown that materials about satisfactory can be obtained, using cheap and waste substances by simple synthesis which does not require expensive polymerization initiators.